Chronicles of the Chosen Three: The Motherland
by Seldavia
Summary: Famine has long since destroyed the Gerudo in Hyrule, and Ganondorf seeks his distant relatives that legends claim crossed the great Wasteland ages ago. Unfortunately for him, Din tells him he can't do it alone...
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: If you've read "The Door to Yomi", you can skip this.**

Prologue

For hundreds of years, three individuals sleepwalked through a never-ending cycle perpetuated by the Goddesses. Each carried a piece of the deities' golden treasure, continually seeking their own goals but always coming together as the Goddesses had ordained. This cycle of life and death, destruction and regeneration, powered the land of Hyrule and moved all who lived within it.

But after so many lifetimes, the souls of the three Bearers began to recognize patterns in their lives, and became tormented by images of their past. Finally all three broke free of their bonds and the long-broken Triforce was restored.

The Goddesses reacted with joy, proud that their children had awakened into a higher consciousness. But their brother Onima, fearful that mortals would challenge the role of the gods, attempted to bend Hyrule to his will and reduce those living in it to mere puppets.

Midna, ruler of the Twilight Realm, the land of the dead, explained Onima's plans to the Three Bearers. They journeyed beyond the borders of both Hyrule and the waking world to challenge him. In his house they fought the demons of their past lives, forgotten promises and old wounds that never healed. Onima thought it would be easy to separate them, for one of the three had long been regarded as Hyrule's enemy; but in the end, all three had the same goal.

When the three finally reached Onima, the Goddesses revealed themselves; and with the Three Bearers then sealed him away. When they returned home, the Goddesses explained that they could choose in their next lives how much they wanted to remember, always knowing that they would return to Midna's kingdom at the end of each cycle.

And so Hyrule's life cycle continued, the Bearers simply playing their roles as they always had, until one came to the Goddesses with a special request…


	2. Request of Din's Child

In the Twilight Realm, the shadowy world where the souls of the dead waited for their next turn into waking life, time did not exist. The cloudy sky hung low in a state of perpetual dusk; its inhabitants did not hurry along its streets; a feeling of peace pervaded throughout every corner of its castle's halls.

When not overseeing the constant shift of lives from one world to the other, the Twilight Princess Midna would sit with two of the Three Bearers and reminisce about lives gone by. Having once traveled to the land of the living, but unable to visit since then, she always made time to hear about her friends' adventures.

"So then I was told that all this had something to do with a 'Wind Fish'," Link told her with a chuckle. "And I'm thinking to myself, 'Wind Fish? What kind of name is that for a powerful deity?'"

Zelda laughed. "It sounds like some strange cuisine…or maybe one of those fish that blow up to make themselves look big…"

Midna nodded. "Pufferfish. Yeah, that's what came to my mind, too."

"Yeah, and I ran into a lot of things that inspired a lot more fear and awe than the 'Wind Fish'". Link couldn't stop laughing; it had become a running joke. "I'd go into a town and ask about the Seven Skulls of Doom; no reaction. The Dungeon of Eternal Death? Not a problem. But for goodness' sakes, don't even mention the name of the _Wind Fish_…"

The two women collapsed into laughter. "I hope that in your next lives the scribes have better names for their legends," Midna gasped as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Speaking of which," Zelda spoke up, "I haven't seen Ganondorf since we came back here, except here and there when he was questioning some of the other people. We're going to leave again soon."

"Yeah, I had to make him stop that," Midna grunted. "He was freaking people out."

"He does that," Link said mildly. "What were all the interrogations for?"

"Not sure. Told me it was none of my business. Which is a load of nonsense, as anything that happens here is my business. Eventually he stomped off and shut himself up in his quarters."

Zelda shrugged. "He's always scheming something. I guess we'll find out what it is eventually…"

-&-

Midna stood respectfully to the side as the three Goddesses, resplendent in ornate robes of red, green, and blue, stood at the door to the land of the living. Stepping forward, Nayru said, "Now, my children, tell us how much of your mind you wish to bring into the next world this time."

Zelda nodded toward her guardian Goddess. "I'd like to remember as little as possible…for a change."

Nayru smiled. "I cannot wipe your mind completely, for you must fulfill your role as Bearer of Wisdom. But I will do what I can."

"I don't want to remember anything either," Link said. "It wears on you after a while."

All of them turned toward Ganondorf, who had been standing with arms crossed and a big scowl on his face the entire time. "I want to remember everything."

Din sighed. "We've been through this before. It gives you an unfair advantage to know all when they know nothing."

"I have a specific purpose," he grunted, "that has nothing to do with my role in the Perpetual Cycle." He paused for a moment, as if uncertain how to go on. "I've spoken with every soul in Hyrule over time. None of them ever remember being Gerudo. I want to know what happened to my people, and bring them back if possible."

"You know what happened," Din told him, as if scolding a small child. "You left them to Famine, whom you fought yourself in Onima's home."

Ganondorf scowled even deeper. "When they died, shouldn't they have returned here, and been reborn as Hylians or Zora or something?"

Nayru shook her head. "Souls still retain much of the personalities they had in life. Since the Gerudo died out in Hyrule, their souls were transferred to another world."

"Well, which one?" Ganondorf demanded impatiently.

Din gave him a little smile, as if relishing the bombshell about to drop. "They have been transferred to Reylisia."

Ganondorf stood completely still, the color drained from his face. "You mean…it exists?"

"Of course it exists." Din's teasing voice echoed in the small room. "Your own legends state that the Gerudo came from elsewhere…you are my adopted children."

"What is Reylisia?" Zelda asked. "The Gerudo homeland?"

Ganondorf ignored her. "Well then, I want to go there! How does one get there from here?"

"Reylisia is under the rule of Myrissa…we are not allowed to send our children to other worlds," Nayru explained.

"However, if you wished to journey there as a mortal, you are free to do so," Farore chimed in.

"What is Myrissa?" Link demanded, poking Ganondorf's arm so he couldn't be ignored.

"You've seen Myrissa," Ganondorf replied brusquely, brushing him off. "The statue in the Spirit Temple." He turned to Din. "Well, you asked what I wanted. I want my full memory so I can go to Reylisia…_what?_" he demanded upon seeing the little smile flash across Din's face again.

"You know you must cross the Great Wasteland?" she asked.

"Of course. I don't care." He stood immovable in both body and will.

"And what of Hyrule?"

"Let the babies have some fun for once. I'll make it up in the next life. Or sooner, if I can get enough Gerudo to come with me."

Din's smile deepened. "I don't think that will be possible."

Ganondorf's eager face flashed to anger. "Why on earth not?"

"I don't think you are strong enough to fulfill this deed by yourself."

Link and Zelda involuntarily stepped back. Neither could have thought of a better way to insult the dark warlord.

Turning red, Ganondorf roared at the Goddess, "What kind of statement is that?! Is Myrissa that much more powerful than you that my own Power cannot withstand her will?"

"It is not your Power, but mine," Din told him smoothly. Link had been afraid that she might strike him down for shouting at him, but instead she acted as if he were a mouthy child. An effective punishment, it actually made him even angrier. Zelda pitied him for his tenuous relationship with his Goddesss; she knew he worshiped Din, envied her, and yet hated her for keeping him on a short leash.

"The Triforce has no power outside the borders of Hyrule," Nayru explained. "It worked in Onima's house because we were also there, and had made a bet with him that you could use your gifts to reach us. But we are not allowed to extend the Triforce outside our creation."

"Then what's the problem?!" Ganondorf practically screamed.

"There are many challenges you will encounter, and you have no way to prepare yourself," Farore told him. "Reylisia is a very different place than it was when your ancestors came to Hyrule."

Din looked at all three Bearers in turn, and Link got the feeling she was about to drop another bombshell. "However, if you ask your fellow Chosen Ones to accompany you, you may succeed in your goal."

"No," Ganondorf snapped, his tone both simple and final.

"Then you will fail."

A long, uncomfortable silence followed. Finally, Zelda said, "I wouldn't object to the return of the Gerudo…if I could help in some way…"

"Well, you can't," came Ganondorf's flat reply. "Neither of you would ever survive in the Great Wasteland."

"I did," Link pointed out.

Ganondorf sneered at him. "Yes, from the Fortress to the Temple. That's like saying you managed to walk from one end of the castle to the other."

"My child, the other Bearers are _volunteering _to assist you," Din told him sweetly. "I don't see why you're objecting…unless, of course, you've changed your mind about your goal…"

Growling and scuffling like an old tomcat, Ganondorf finally relented. "If that's the only way it can be done…."

"Excellent." Din beamed like the sun. "I have long wished for my adopted children to return again."

"Then why didn't you mention it before?!"

"I wanted you to reach that decision yourself."

Glaring at Din, Ganondorf looked as if he would have strangled her, if it were in any way even remotely possible.

"For a mission like this," Farore cut in, "I don't believe it is necessary for the three of you to be reborn in the usual way. We can assign you temporary bodies, and release you into the world with your minds intact."

"How are we going to get supplies?" Link demanded. "It's not like we can go up to the royal treasury and say, 'Hi, our reincarnated Princess here would like to make a withdrawal'."

"There are many old fortunes willed to forgotten heirs," Zelda told him. "I know enough about my family's history to pose as one of them."

"Must be nice, having resources just lying around," Ganondorf muttered.

"Are you ready?" Midna asked. When all three nodded, she extended her hand to a space behind her, a threadlike series of glowing blue lines emanating from a single point. The lines thickened until they coalesced into a single square of blue. "Good luck!"


	3. At Hyrule's Edge

Link scanned the horizon, standing just inside the gates of the castle town. The day had dawned clear and cool, with a slight breeze; just the right weather for traveling. To his side stood three desert horses, chosen by Ganondorf's critical eye. In fact, he had purchased all their supplies, down to the gourds of water hung on the horses wherever they would fit.

The air smelled of warm soil and distant flowers; Link inhaled deeply, eager to get out on the road again. Zelda, adjusting the saddle on her horse, gave him a knowing smile. "Chomping at the bit, are we?"

He laughed. "Me, or the horse?"

"Both." She glanced around. "I wonder where he is?"

"He said something about getting different clothes. I hope for our sakes he's not getting something extravagant just because he can. He practically grabbed the money out of your hands when you pulled off that story about being a long-lost whatever-you-are."

She shrugged. "I don't think he's going to buy fancy clothes. He's got other things on his mind."

"You're going to roast in that." Link jumped upon hearing Ganondorf's gruff voice behind him. He hadn't noticed the man walking up to them; the dark warlord wore flowing robes of tan and light brown, with sandals on his feet instead of boots. Din had given him a younger body than usual upon his request; he was only in his late twenties, just ten years older than the other two. On his back he carried double scimitars instead of his usual longsword.

He frowned at Link's usual tunic and chainmail. "Your fabric is too thick, and that mail will heat up like a poker in a fireplace. Plus you don't have any cover for your face and arms."

"I'll be fine," Link assured him. "It's not like I never go out in the sun." He jerked his thumb back at Zelda, who wore a modified version of the Shekiah uniform; it covered most of her body, but fit much more loosely.

Ganondorf rolled his eyes. "Burn, then," he grunted, throwing one last pack onto his horse.

"You've still got that metal crown in your hair…not to mention all the hardware attaching it to the jewel on your forehead," Link pointed out. "Why do you wear all that, anyway?"

With thinly veiled impatience, Ganondorf pointed to the jewel. "This is a symbol of status among the Gerudo. The more important the person, the more intricate it is. If I'm going to ask people living in Reylisia to come back with me to that pile of rocks I grew up in, I had better look like I know what I'm doing."

They set off, with Ganondorf in front and the other two side by side. Zelda watched the countryside go by, happy for once not to be fulfilling obligations and following arcane prophesies. Very rarely did she get a break of any kind, usually forced from birth to set the course for the next phase of the Endless Cycle.

She turned back to Link, who caught her eye and smiled. In their many lifetimes they had been together, apart, and together again; yet the two seldom got any time to simply be among one another. The two held a bond stronger than death itself, calling it love would be a trite, pitiable description.

There was, of course, that third wheel. "Why are you dawdling?" Ganondorf yelled down at them from the top of a hill. "This is a mission, not a leisurely ride among the butterflies. Get a move on!"

-&-

The bridge over the canyons still existed; it had been rebuilt and repaired many times, as the kingdom needed it for the travelers and traders who passed near or through the desert. A number of little settlements dotted the Wasteland, around its few oases; the Gorons sometimes traveled among them, being used to heat and subsisting on rocks.

After a narrow passage, they came to the area that had once been the Gerudo Fortress. The gate to the Wastelands gaped open; the stout wooden doors had long since rotted away. Huge chunks of the wall had been bitten out by the harsh winds. The living quarters were now mere foundations with stony rubble piled in and among them.

"Stop here," Ganondorf ordered. The other two reined in their horses, and watched as he dismounted, walking toward the ruins.

"What are you looking for?" Link called after him.

"Never mind. I'll be right back."

Ganondorf walked to the edge of the ruins, stopping at the foundation of what had once been living quarters. A broken plate and rusty spear, half-buried in the dust and sand, were all that remained. The eerie screaming of the wind off in the distance clashed with the warm memories of this place, of crackling watch-fires with gossiping guards beneath them, the squeals of children as they ran in circles on the hard-packed ground. He closed his eyes and drew from memories of lifetimes ago, still as clear as they had happened yesterday…

-&-

"Yaah! Get him! Knock him down!"

The little knot of five-year-old girls cheered on their friend as she scrabbled in the dirt with the young Prince. Both sported bloody knees and elbows, but neither one cared for both were on the edge of victory. Ganondorf dug his heels into the ground as the girl threw her weight against his shoulder. At the last moment he spun on his heel and the girl sailed past him, landing hard on her stomach.

After a few exclamations of surprise, the group of girls pounded him on the back in congratulations; he extended his hand to his fallen sister, for there was no shame in losing to a worthy adversary, with the winner expected to abide by etiquette. Gloating was reserved for those who did not deserve respect.

His playmates scattered after that, not interested in another game. Ganondorf walked slowly back to his mother's chambers, hoping perhaps there might be a bit of food left for him. It had been weeks since the last successful raid, and they had been surviving on pounded cactus and fried termites. His stomach growled, but he had long since learned to ignore it.

The smell of food greeted him as he walked in the door. His sister Atrayu, who had been sick for several days, lay in bed with the uneaten food sitting on the table beside her. Ganondorf's stomach growled louder and his mouth watered, but he didn't move.

He stood there for several minutes, turning over logic in his five-year-old mind. _I shouldn't take food from Atrayu…but she's sick, so she probably won't want it and it'll just go to waste…if Ma catches me she'll whip me for sure, Prince or not. But she won't miss a little bit, surely…?_

Taking a furtive look around him, Ganondorf tiptoed to his sister's bedside and watched her thin blanket rise and fall with her breath, which rattled loudly and echoed in the small room. He stood for a while, uncertain, and then his eyes slowly moved to the bowl of porridge. _Just one bite…she'll never miss it…_

Heart pounding in both anticipation and trepidation, he raised his hand, held it hovering over the bowl for a brief moment, and then dug in. He licked every drop from his fingers, then stood very still for the next several moments. Suddenly he reached for the bowl and lifted the entire thing to his lips.

Something cracked against his head and he slammed into the wall behind him. His mother stood over him, a wooden spoon in one hand. "How dare you steal food from your sick sister!" she shouted, loud enough for everyone in the compound to hear what he had done. She grabbed him by the fabric of his clothes and pulled him out of the room, ignoring his furtive apologies. "If you're going to act like an animal, you sleep outside!" She kicked him out and slammed the door behind him.

"Ma!" he shouted in protest, but knew better than to expect any pity after such a sin. He curled up on the ground, feeling both guilty and angry.

He slept fitfully; the desert always became cold at night, and the watch guards would only laugh at him if he sought warmth from their fires. Being Prince, the sole male and future King, didn't give him any privileges as far as childhood discipline was concerned. This was not the first time he had been punished in this way; and not by far the only Gerudo child to ever experience it. He thought angry words at his mother, as well as his own stomach for driving him to temptation.

Suddenly he heard joyful shouts off to his left, near the gate that faced Hyrule. He jumped up and ran through the alleys of the compound, coming to a stop at the gate, where the latest raiding party displayed their newest gains.

"Elder Sister!" He ran to Nabooru, who stood flushed with success after her first raid, in the final stage of adulthood training at twelve years of age. She wore jeweled necklaces and bracelets she had stolen to display her skill. Upon catching sight of him, she lifted him up with a whoop.

"How is my favorite Little Brother?" she asked. Ganondorf laughed despite it being a tired old joke.

"I missed you, Elder Sister." He hugged her as tightly as he could.

She put him down on the ground and faced him. "What would my Little Brother like?"

Remembering his manners, Ganondorf replied, "Nothing for me, thank you, Sister."

"No? Such a selfless little Prince you are." She beamed happily and he squirmed, still smarting from the incident before. Nabooru pulled something from one pocket, a shiny toy soldier wearing the ensign of the Hylian knights. "Here you go, Little Brother."

He squealed in delight and kissed her lightly on one cheek, then ran off as Nabooru's friends came up to congratulate her.

"Ma! Ma!" he yelled, as he got closer to home. He had already decided not to keep the toy soldier for himself, but to give it to Atrayu. Surely this prize would more than pay her back for the bit of porridge he had stolen.

The door to his home already stood open.

He halted, sensing something was wrong. As he crept toward the door, he heard the soft, low sound of his mother's sobs. Fearfully, he peered inside, just in time to see Nayana, the guardian of the Spirit Temple, pull the blanket over Atrayu's lifeless face.

-&-

Ganondorf knew those bites of porridge had not caused his sister's death; and yet, as he stood facing the gutted remains of the fortress, he wondered if it had not been prophetic. It would not be the last time he had given himself over to hunger and greed, not the last time his sisters had suffered for it.

_I have feasted upon those whom you left to starve when you embarked on your fool's travails, and also upon those who suffered in the wake of your destruction. _Now _you will truly understand the torment that I unleashed on the others._

Famine's words echoed in his mind. He gritted his teeth, staring down at the ground, not wanting to face the sorry remains of his once-proud, once-powerful race. The sun glinted off something half-buried in the sand, and he reached down to pick it up.

A rusty toy soldier, with an arm and a leg missing.

He knew it could not be the same one. He had flung that one down from atop the cliffs, not wanting to touch it after losing Atrayu. Besides, he later found out they could be bought for a few rupees from any of the Hylian shops. Still, he hid it in his cloak, to keep as a reminder if he ever strayed from his mission.

"Hey, I thought we were in a hurry!" Link yelled from atop his horse. Ganondorf frowned like a thundercloud, then turned back to continue his journey.

-&-

Sandstorms usually plagued the Great Wasteland, but not today. The sky remained clear, the sun high and hot. Ganondorf took heart in the fact that they would make good time. Link, however, was not as happy.

Early on he had to take off the chainmail burning into his skin, just as Ganondorf had predicted. He didn't like the exposed feeling of not wearing armor, but it was either that or dump water over his head, and he knew he couldn't waste their water that way.

Soon afterward, his tunic heated up, and even after taking off his wrist guards and boots he was still too hot. He took off the tunic and hat, ruffling his hair so that the breeze could get in. Every ounce of moisture on his body evaporated in a matter of minutes, and he was loath to put the tunic back on.

"You're going to get sunburned if you ride around like that," Zelda warned.

He fanned himself with his hat. "I know, but I'm roasting out here. Aren't you hot?"

She motioned to her clothing. "The light-colored fabric keeps the sun off. Do you want some of mine?"

"Okay."

She dug into the pack behind her and tossed him a light shirt and hood made of silk. "Aren't the Goron mines just as hot?"

Pulling on the clothing, he noted with satisfaction that the smooth, silk-like fabric cooled him considerably. A good thing, too, as his shoulders had already started to redden. "They are, but you could move out of it as you went from room to room. Granite is a pretty good insulator."

They rode on in silence for maybe half an hour, their guide seemingly not taking any notice of them or their conversation. Zelda scoured the countryside for something interesting to look at, but found nothing other than sand and a few grottoes of rock.

"You'd think there'd be scrubs, or buzzards, or bones out here," Link commented, as if reading her thoughts.

"This is the start of the badlands," Ganondorf called over his shoulder, startling the other two. "It should only take half a day to cross. Then comes the scrubland, which is more like the area around the Gerudo fortress. Then it's badlands again, and after that I don't know. I've never been that far."

"Why bother coming out here?" Link asked.

"It is part of adulthood training," Ganondorf replied. "Every Gerudo goes through it at the age of twelve."

"What? Every kid has to ride through the desert like this?"

"Not ride. Walk."

Stunned, he turned to Zelda, who nodded and gave him a little smile. "Why are you surprised? You've done lots of dangerous stuff by the age of twelve."

"Yeah, but I don't know of any other twelve-year-olds who make it their business to explore dungeons and fight monsters." He turned back to Ganondorf. "What else do Gerudo kids have to do?"

"Lots of things," he said lazily, though his voice betrayed his pride. "Most can handle a sword at six years of age…they'll have hunted a bit with small bows, after jackrabbit and gila…it's a kind of survival training. They don't spend the whole time alone, though. The children take on the voyage in groups of three. It's up to them to find food and shelter."

"Food and shelter? Out here?"

"It's easy to find…if you're properly prepared and know what you're looking for."

Link stared out at the endless hills of sand and wind-scarred rocks, and shook his head.

They said nothing for a while, but the pressing silence was too much for the two Hylians to bear. After humming to herself, Zelda began singing a lively tune about the summer festivals. Since their guide made no comment one way or another, and Link nodded in encouragement, she started another breathy, haunting song about waiting for lost love under the evening stars. Her voice drifted eerily through the silent, sun-parched landscape, very out of place and yet strangely appropriate.

At the end, she turned to Link. "It's so dry, I don't think I can do another one, right away. Why don't you give it a try?"

He thought for a moment, then launched into a jaunty barroom tune about drinking ale and kissing pretty girls. It only lasted a few bars; the mere mention of drink made his mouth taste of dust in the forbidding heat. So he switched to a sad song about an adventurer who loses his way in a dark forest, the words hinting that he eventually becomes a ghost. His lower, stronger voice carried farther than Zelda's, but it still clashed painfully with their surroundings.

"Do the Gerudo have any travelers' songs?" Zelda asked their guide. She meant it as an open invitation.

"Yes," he replied shortly.

"Well, what are they?" Link asked him.

"I don't sing." His tone was final, and they left it at that.

-&-

They reached the scrublands just before sunset. As Link pulled his tunic back on – already chilled in the dying heat – they entered an area blackened by a recent fire. Ash rose from the ground with every step of the horses' feet. Rocks poked up from the dirt like warts on a frog. And yet, to his surprise, Link could see bright red and gold sunburst-shaped flowers on some of the charred bushes.

Stopping abruptly, Ganondorf announced, "We'll camp here for the night."

"Why here?" Link demanded. "We're in the middle of an ash pile."

"That's what makes it a good place to camp." He pulled out a bedroll of woven rushes and tamped it down on the ground, waited for the dust to settle, then spread out a blanket over that. "This time of year, there are frequent brushfires, and they can move faster than a horse can run. We need a little fire to cook, and keep the night pests away."

Zelda examined the flowering bushes. "Did these actually survive the fire?"

"Yes and no." Ganondorf dug a little ring in the dirt and threw charcoaled brush into it, then pulled packages out of the foodbag. "Those are not flowers. They are seed pods. They depend on fire to open them. They will introduce new growth."

Link fingered his sword hilt. "What kind of 'night pests' are we talking about?"

"Nothing big, though you'll want to be careful anyway. Snakes, scorpions, bloodsucking insects…the fire should keep most of them away."

The two Hylians watched silently as their guide threw dried meat, grain, some dried herbs and a bit of water into a skillet, holding it over the fire. "What?" he demanded.

Link snickered. "I didn't know you could cook."

Scowling, Ganondorf growled, "There aren't any inns out here in which to buy food. No servants to cook it for you either," he added with a sideways look at Zelda. "You want to eat, you have to make the food yourself." He pointed to the foodbag. "But I bought Hylian food for you, because I know you'd just starve if I didn't."

Link and Zelda found dried beef, bread, and cheese; all suitable for traveling, and certainly better than what Link was used to eating on long campaigns. But as they chewed their food, savory smells from the fire kept wafting over to them.

"You've got your own food. This is mine," Ganondorf snarled as they both stared at the skillet.

"Could we just taste a bit?" Zelda asked in her politest voice. "I've never eaten Gerudo cuisine."

"You won't be able to handle it. It's very spicy."

"Sure we can," Link insisted.

Looking as if he was being asked to hand over his left ear, Ganondorf offered the skillet to each of them in turn. "I'll warn you now," he said slowly as they brought the small morsels to their mouths, "You're not getting any extra water."

Link popped the rubbery-looking substance in his mouth. It had a deep, flavorful, rich taste and he chewed happily – for the first few seconds.

"Aaaaaauuuuugggghhhh!" Link clamped his hand over his mouth, Zelda quickly following suit. He felt like had swallowed molten lava. Red-hot knives pierced his tongue, the roof of his mouth, his throat. He downed all his water but it provided no relief. He could see Zelda turning purple next to him.

Ganondorf laughed softly. "You can drink all the water we have and it won't help; but the bread will." He tossed a loaf to each of them and they dug in.

When he had recovered the ability to talk, Link demanded, "Why would you want to eat something like that?"

"Because it would taste like dung if I didn't. There's a lot of things that are edible but not eatable, if you know what I mean," their guide explained. "Sometimes drowning it in spices is the only solution."

"I'll take the first watch," he volunteered as the other two laid out their own sleeping pallets. Link felt uneasy at this, his subconscious mind unwilling to let its guard down in such close proximity to his longtime adversary. But then, he was in no more danger than he had been in Onima's house. If nothing else, Ganondorf could be trusted to protect that which supported his own interests, and right now Link fell under that category.

Even so, he spent a good deal of time with one eye half-open, watching the fire reflected in the dark warlord's yellow eyes. Ganondorf glanced up from time to time, hearing a noise here and there, but for most of the night he seemed to be in a state of deep reflection.


	4. Baptism of Blood, Ties that Bind

A thump and a flash of pain jolted Link awake

A thump and a flash of pain jolted Link awake. "Your turn to take watch," he heard Ganondorf grunt above him.

Scowling, Link rubbed his sore rib cage. He did not put it past Ganondorf to have woken him instead of Zelda simply for an excuse to kick him. _This is going to be a long journey…and he's in a relatively good mood, too…_

Link kept his eyes on the stars when not taking a quick check of his surroundings. This way, he didn't need to wait for his eyes to adjust after staring into the fire; he wondered if Ganondorf had been listening more than looking. It was an old pastime, looking at the stars and the shapes they supposedly made. He didn't understand how a random group of stars made a warrior, but it did make for good fireside tales.

Glancing at the moon, he realized with a shock that there were only a few more hours until daylight. Had the old warlord taken it upon himself to watch over them? Or, more likely, did he not trust his charges to recognize a threat out here?

Ganondorf rose with the sun and immediately began stoking the coals of the fire to cook his own breakfast. The other two contented themselves with bread and cheese, having had enough of Gerudo cuisine for the moment.

They rode through the scrublands without event for the most part, the two Hylians chatting occasionally as their guide ignored them. But a short time after they crossed into the badlands again, Ganondorf pulled his horse to a halt and glared at the horizon in front of them.

Link squinted, but couldn't see anything. "What is it? Raiders?"

Shaking his head, their guide answered, "No, a sandstorm. See how the horizon's blurry and brown up ahead?"

"It's been blurry all this time!"

"That was heat waves, idiot. Can't you tell the difference?"

Link let that pass. "Well, in any case, it's a long way off. Why are we stopping?"

Ganondorf glanced around, then nudged his horse off to the right, near a outcropping of stone. "It'll come sooner than you think, and we need to set up a shelter."

"Shelter? Out here?"

Ganondorf explained visually by riding up to the pile of rock, then pulling blankets and odd-shaped pieces of wood from his pack. The wood pieces were about the length of a man's arm, most of them straight, but some of them bent in a bow shape. He stuck the wood in the sand like stakes, then wrapped the blanket around them. The short wall stood in the lee of the stone, where the least amount of sand had collected.

"I see," Zelda said slowly as she watched. "The rock itself provides a little bit of protection, and the shelter adds to it. I suppose the curved part will let the wind blow over it, instead of trying to stand up against it?"

Ganondorf nodded. He pulled on the horses' halters, forcing them to lay down with their heads stretched toward the shelter. This way, the wind would hit their packs more than their faces.

"That's all well and good," Link said, "but the shelter only goes up to our waist."

"You have to lie down for it to work," Ganondorf grunted. "I don't really want to rest so early in the day, but you'll see for yourselves how we won't have much choice."

Even as he stopped speaking, they could hear the scream of the wind in the distance. Fascinated, Link and Zelda watched the brown cloud move closer, undulating faintly as the wind grew louder. Ganondorf lay down on one end of the shelter with his face to the blanket, as if trying to block out the other two.

The sandstorm hit like a fist to the nose, stinging their eyes and blasting their faces. They crouched down with the horses' heads at their feet, and watched the trails of sand whip harmlessly over their heads. "How long does this last?" Link shouted.

"Couple of hours, if we're lucky," came the muffled reply. Link made a face. He watched the trails of sand for a while, but lost interest quickly. The wind made sleep impossible, so he began a shouting conversation with Zelda.

Link never remembered what exactly he said that sent him flying over the shelter into the sandstorm. He had been discussing the mission with Zelda, then somehow his memories of the townsmen being afraid of the Gerudo women got into the conversation, and a few seconds later he found himself airborne and sandblasted.

He hit the ground hard, coughing and spluttering as the stinging particles invaded eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Barely able to make out the blue blanket in the storm, he crawled back to the shelter. "What was that for?" he demanded, coughing up dust.

Ganondorf stuck a finger in his face. "I don't _ever_ want to hear you talk about Gerudo women like that again. I heard enough of that when I had to kiss up to that idiot King all those years ago."

"It _was_ a little chauvinistic, Link," Zelda admitted.

Still spitting sand, he snapped, "I didn't say that was _my_ opinion. I was just repeating what the people in town said."

"If you want to keep your head on your shoulders in Reylisia, you'd better stop vomiting up nonsense," Ganondorf snarled.

Zelda placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you fill us in, then?"

He scowled a little, then accepted her peace offering. "There are plenty of men, Hylians and others, who have chosen to live with the Gerudo at one time or another. The pair often becomes genuinely attached; the only downside, I guess, is the foreign man doesn't get much freedom. He's not allowed out of the complex without an escort." His eyes flashed. "Besides, there are plenty of Hylian men who don't see anything wrong with a single night, even though they'll never admit it to their families…or girlfriends…or wives."

"How did the Gerudo end up this way?" Zelda asked. "It doesn't sound like a very stable way for a society to maintain itself."

"Well…" Ganondorf looked unsure, as if he were about to reveal some great secret. "The elders always told us that it was different in Reylisia. There was one male per family group, and most took multiple wives from other clans. Some women took no mate at all, but dedicated themselves as warriors, merchants, or raiders."

"So why did the Gerudo in Hyrule ever have only one male per hundred years?" Link asked.

"All Hylian Gerudo are descended from one clan, the Dragmire. As for why only the one, I have no idea. The most widely accepted theory was that they fell out of favor in some kind of dispute – the clans leaders would elect a chief over them all, and there was a great deal of jockeying for position, as you might expect. But it could have been anything…war, disease, famine…"

"So it's only been one _clan_, out of an entire _race_, all this time," Zelda concluded.

"So…what? Each harem is actually a family?" Link asked.

Ganondorf swiped at him, but he dodged out of the way. "Say 'harem' again and I'll punch your teeth down your throat," he snapped. "The women are free to choose their mate, or to have none at all. And the head of household can't just wander around and make demands of them, either."

"What happens if a woman in the family wants to take a foreigner as a mate?" Zelda asked.

He looked dubious. "I don't know…as far as Reylisia's concerned, anyway. They're still considered family…but have a lower rank. I was told it's children first, then head of household, eldest woman, adult women, foreign men, and lastly servants."

"Wait…children rank above _you?_" Link demanded.

"Of course," Ganondorf stated as if it were obvious. "A clan with no children eventually dies out. It's everyone's job to look after them, to lay down their lives to defend them if necessary."

Link snorted, opening his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut upon catching a look from Zelda. _Stop provoking him,_ it clearly said.

Ganondorf apparently could sense what he was about to say, for he terminated the semi-civil conversation by rolling up against the shelter wall again. He didn't speak another word until the storm ended three hours later.

-&-

Link never knew he could be uncomfortable on so many levels. He was familiar with pain, certainly, but not the slow torture of baking to death while sand rubbed his skin raw and made it itch in areas he couldn't scratch. The sand got into everything, from his hair and clothes to the water and food. Every bite of bread turned crunchy.

Suddenly he felt a strange shock wash over him, like the all-too-familiar feeling of passing too close to a ghost. The others must have felt it too, for they both stiffened.

"Did it get really quiet all of a sudden?" Zelda asked.

Ganondorf glanced at the back of his hand, then stretched it out, unleashing a small fireball. "It seems," he said slowly, "that we've crossed the border out of Hyrule."

Link felt a hint of trepidation. He had never felt dependent on his piece of the Triforce – he still did not fully understand exactly what it did – but realizing he no longer had any connection to the land of his birth unnerved him. He might as well have traveled to the moon.

Ganondorf did not seem too worried; after this observation, he rode on as if nothing had happened. The other two followed suit, after giving each other a brief glance of reassurance.

Up ahead, Link could see something he thought must certainly be a tower, and his heart lifted upon thinking that perhaps they had reached some semblance of civilization. But as they approached, he could see that it was nothing more than a large rocky spire.

However, Ganondorf's face lit up as they passed by, and he paused for a moment. "This is Myrissa's Fang," he explained, gesturing toward it. "It is a very holy place to the Gerudo. Among other things, it is the stage for the final test in adulthood training, after which a boy becomes a man and a girl becomes a woman."

It didn't look like anything more than a big lump of rock to Link. "The final stage? You mean the journey out here on foot?"

"Yes, and once the three children arrive, they must fight one of the adults dressed to look like outside raiders. But they don't know that at the time. Also…" Here his face darkened. "It is so far from home, sometimes accidents happen."

"What happens if they don't finish the training?" Zelda asked.

"Well, if they didn't finish, that usually means they died," Ganondorf stated in a matter-of-fact manner. "But that didn't happen very often. The elders did a good job of preparing us. In the rare event that someone didn't finish and didn't die, they were allowed to try again the next year. But that was, understandably, quite embarrassing."

He let his eyes linger on the landmark for a few moments more, then twitched his horse back toward their destination.

They traveled on for the rest of the day with little conversation or incident. As they made camp for the night, Zelda volunteered to take the first watch. But none of them felt very tired. "Why don't we keep traveling?" Link asked. "It's a lot cooler at night."

Ganondorf shook his head. "Even with a full moon, there isn't enough light to see all the dangers and pitfalls here in the desert. This is an area unfamiliar to me, so I have no idea what dangers we'll face between here and Reylisia."

-&-

Zelda shook Ganondorf awake. "Something's coming," she told him. "I'm not sure what it is."

He rose slowly and peered in the direction she pointed. His brows furrowed and a worried frown crossed his face. "They look like the fires of Domado raiders," he said softly. "Let's douse the fire."

They did so, waking Link in the process. "How dangerous are they?" Link asked.

Ganondorf counted the tiny pinpoints of light off in the distance. "Not very – by themselves. But there look to be thirty or so out there…we're going to get hurt, at least, if we pick a fight with them."

Suddenly they heard a soft pattering sound, like quick muffled footsteps. Ganondorf whirled round, pulled his double scimitars from the straps on his back, and blocked a charge from a cloak-wearing figure with a shaved head. Immediately after the clang of metal on metal shattered the silence, loud yells rose from the two groups both above and behind.

_It's a back ambush_, Link thought fervently as he unsheathed his sword to block another charge. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Zelda kick her attacker, then grab her bow and shoot arrows in the direction of the oncoming horde. _The main group drew our attention while the scouts sneaked up from behind!_

As the larger group crashed into the battle, Zelda threw up a magical barrier. It knocked them off their horses but did little else. Link flinched as he felt the bite of a scimitar nick his shoulder. _There's far too many of them!_

-&-

"No, I won't give you any more water." The twelve-year-old prince stamped his foot. "You shouldn't have guzzled it down like that."

"But I'm thirsty," Ashira argued in a voice far too whiny for her age.

"Oh, just give it to her," Maparre groaned. "We can manage."

"How would you know?" Ganondorf countered. "You two are totally useless. How did I get stuck with you as a team for adulthood training?"

Maparre rolled her eyes. "Teams have to be balanced, you're the best, we're the worst. Happy now?"

"You should at least know where to find water." Ganondorf switched the water gourd with a small digging stick he had in his pack. He had already taken on items from the others' packs. Scratching in the sand just below something that looked like a withered stick, he reached into the hole and pulled out a bulbous tuber. "Here."

They split it three ways, chewing on the juicy, rubbery plant. It tasted terrible but cured the worst cravings of thirst. All three walked on with their heads down, their hair matted with sand and sweat, arms covered in angry burns and sandals near disintegrated from rubbing in the sand.

After many stumbles and groans, Ashira pointed. "Look! Myrissa's Fang!"

"That's the eighth time you've said that," Maparre grumbled.

Squinting through the watery heat waves, Ganondorf announced, "I think she's right!"

Ashira cheered and tried to run. She wound up taking a nosedive into the sand again.

"Dummy, it's still a long way off," Maparre chided her.

"I think we can make it there before nightfall," Ganondorf reasoned eagerly. "C'mon."

As the late afternoon sun hung low in the sky, they finally approached the huge stone spire, only to find it seemingly deserted.

"We can't be the first ones here," Ganondorf said more to himself than the others. "We were going too darn slow."

"Maybe they got tired of waiting for us." Maparre walked along the edge. "I see footprints, and it's been windy…someone came by here just in the past few hours. Several someones, from the look of it."

"Not kids," Ganondorf noted, staring down at the sand. "The prints are too big."

They suddenly realized Ashira was not with them. After calling for a bit, they found her on the opposite side of the spire, standing completely still with her back to them. "Darn it, Ashira, what are you…" Ganondorf's breath caught in his throat.

Nayana, the Spirit Temple guardian, lay dead face down on the ground, in a mixture of sand and congealed blood. Ashira stood rooted to the spot, too terrified to move; Maparre stepped back so quickly she tripped over her own feet.

Ganondorf gingerly turned the body over. Her throat had been cut. His hands shaking, he said slowly, "It must have been rival raiders…"

Ashira suddenly came to life, trembling violently. "Do you think they're still around?"

As if in reply, a pair of arrows whistled through the air with a weighted net strung between them. Ashira merely screamed, while Maparre and Ganondorf attempted to cut themselves free. It was no use, for strings of metal had been woven into the ropes. Four men with shaved heads rode up to the struggling children on roan horses.

"I told you there would be more coming!" The smallest of them exclaimed in a thick Domado accent. "This must be a place of some significance to the Gerudo."

The three others jumped from their horses and forced the children on their stomachs, pinning their hands behind them. The men pulled at their lips to expose teeth, yanked on their hair, and ran their hands over arm and leg muscles. "They seem healthy enough," said a second. "Clean 'em up and they should sell just fine."

"Hey, this one's a boy!" The one holding Ganondorf yanked his head up by his hair, laughing. "I thought they were only a myth!"

"Kill him," the one holding Ashira grunted. "Boys are more trouble than they're worth. If he's a Gerudo prince, he won't take well to hard labor. Pride gets in the way."

"Let go of me! Let go of my sisters!" Ashira and Maparre's anguished cries rang in Ganondorf's ears as he pulled hard against his captor. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!"

They laughed at him. "Little brat, you couldn't hurt me if you tried." Ganondorf's captor held him in the air by his collar. "Go on, boy, give it your best shot!"

Choking, Ganondorf could see the Domado attempting to beat his sisters into submission. He snarled and sank his teeth into the wrist of the hand holding him, slicing past vein, artery, and tendon.

His captor dropped him with a shout, blood spurting from his wrist. The raider's shocked gaze met Ganondorf's, fear in his eyes. That look triggered something deep inside the child's brain. Ganondorf realized he could exert power on this man with mere force of will. In the blink of an eye his mind shifted permanently.

He snatched up his scimitar lying on the ground and leaped forward, swiping at his enemy. The sword connected with the side of the man's throat, a crimson flash in the dying sunlight. As the man fell, the boy whirled round and faced the terrified raiders.

"I told you to get away from my sisters," he hissed, and rushed them.

-&-

Any misgivings Link had against harming humans was swallowed up in the desperate fight for survival. He fought three at a time, his sword connecting to either body or weapon with every stroke, and yet he could not seem to gain any ground. Next to him Zelda fought with the Sheikia's weapons of kunai and throwing needles, and it was all she could do to remain standing. Ganondorf mowed down a cluster trying to steal the horses; their compatriots made off with much of the food supply.

The Domado leader, wielding a mace, brought it down full force onto Link's shield. Link dropped his guard slightly; his arm would have shattered if he didn't. With a grin of triumph, the raider raised his mace again.

Abruptly Link felt himself jerked violently backward and into Zelda, who in turn had been thrown up against the terrified horses. Blinking the stars from his eyes, he saw the Domado leader straighten and pause, the other raiders following his lead. He snapped something at Ganondorf, who replied in equal measure. Link could pick out several Gerudo curses in both statements.

The leader sneered, then laughed out loud, the rest following suit. He abruptly stopped as his head left his shoulders.

The entire group attacked Ganondorf at once. With a furious roar more fitting for Ganon, he struggled to free himself. Link and Zelda leaped forward, pulling the men off him and flashing their own weapons in the light of the fire. Finally, the remaining dozen turned tail and leaped upon their horses, fleeing.

Link checked himself for damage. Luckily, he had put his chainmail and tunic back on when night fell, so aside from a nasty cut on his forehead and a few more on his upper arms, he was unharmed. Zelda's shield magic, even without the added power of the Triforce, had also left her relatively unscathed.

Ganondorf, however, had several deep gashes in his arms and side. He kneeled on the ground, out of breath, but didn't seem to notice. After Zelda tended to the injury seeping blood in Link's eyes, she turned to him.

They were both completely unprepared for his reaction. At her touch, his head jerked up, startled, as if he had been wrenched from sleep. Then he pulled his arm back and struck her across the face. "I don't need your help!" he barked.

"What's your problem?!" Link shouted as he helped her up from the ground. "Even if you don't want help, you had no right to hit her!"

Ganondorf shoved his face in Link's own. "You shut your mouth. I didn't ask for either of you to come. Din forced me to take you with me. You've been nothing but a burden since we left the Twilight Realm!" He turned on his heel and stalked off, snatching up a packet of healing herbs and stopping perhaps a hundred yards from camp.

"What on earth was that about?" Link asked.

"I'm not really sure," Zelda replied, more startled than hurt. "It's almost like he forgot we were there for a moment."

-&-

"Nearly all the food is gone." Zelda frowned in concern as she packed up what was left the next morning.

"Don't worry about that. I can find us food." Ganondorf seemed recovered from his outburst earlier. In fact, he acted as if it had never happened. Neither Hylian expected an apology, but both found his behavior strange. Both remained quiet as they mounted their horses and continued their journey, not at all eager to set him off again.

For his part, Ganondorf concentrated on the horizon in front of him, trying to block out the voices in his head.

_"You're only making it harder for yourself."_

_Silence. All this will be solved once I reach Reylisia and find a new clan._

_"You cannot deny your bond to the other Bearers."_

_I have no bond to them other than the one imposed on me by the Goddesses._

_"What will you do if none wish to return with you?"_

_Then I will stay in Reylisia with my own kind. If it is truly the paradise the legends claimed, there will be no reason for me to return to Hyrule._


	5. Paradise Lost

The journey went rapidly downhill from there.

The next day, Zelda's horse stumbled upon an adder hidden in the rocks. Before anyone realized what had happened, the horse's leg had swelled to twice its size and Zelda barely managed to jump off before it collapsed to the ground. It was dead before Link even examined it to determine what was wrong. Ganondorf took the remainder of the supplies, and Zelda rode on Link's horse.

The night passed without event, but the travelers lost most of the next day to another sandstorm. They did run across a small oasis, and filled their drained water gourds. "It's not so much lack of food, but lack of water that will kill us," Ganondorf noted. "It's a good thing that fool horse got itself killed."

"Mmm," Link said noncommittally, having a heartfelt connection to horses in general.

"These horses are worthless," Ganondorf grumbled, leaning into the oasis to fill another gourd. "Look what so many years of Hylian cross-breeding has done. They're better off dead."

Link silently took the gourd and hung it on his own horse. _Please just shut up._

"I was going to butcher it, but I don't know how deep that venom penetrates. Could've ended up poisoning us all. Good thing that useless horse took it for us."

Link hit him over the head with one of the gourds. "What on earth is wrong with you?!"

"Huh?" Ganondorf looked up, puzzled. "What's wrong with _you_? Been out in the sun too long?"

Link stuck his finger in his face. "I don't want to hear you talking about our horses like that ever again! Who do you think has been carrying your fat butt all over the desert?"

He stood up, an incredulous look on his face, combined with a long-unsatisfied urge to hurt someone. "What did you just say to me? You're acting like those bags of bones are worth the same as a person!"

"Enough!" Zelda shouted before they came to blows. "Things are bad enough as it is. You think beating each other up will help?"

"It'd make me feel better," Ganondorf muttered through clenched teeth.

"I'll make sure you're wrong about that," Link shot back.

"Ganondorf," Zelda said pointedly, "Didn't you say you were going to find us something to eat?"

He walked off, grumbling. Link sighed and sat down on the ground next to Zelda. "I don't know how much more of this I can take." Exasperated, he ran his hands through his sweaty hair. "The heat, having to be around _him_ constantly, his weird mood swings…"

Zelda shrugged. "I don't know what else we can do. I have to admit I didn't realize how hard dealing with him would be. He usually stays away from us in Yomi, and even when we searched for Onima we were separated a good part of the time. He ignored me the few times I was forced to stay around him."

"I don't know if it's worth it. All this trouble just to bring the Gerudo back? What if they don't want to come? What if they don't want anything to do with Ganondorf or us?" He rolled his eyes. "How the heck are we going to get back home if they don't?"

"I guess all we can do is trust in the will of the Goddesses."

"I know it sounds like blasphemy, but they can't help us now. Maybe we should ask Ganondorf's snake goddess for help." Neither one seemed inclined to follow through on that.

After a good hour of hunting and another half-hour of cooking, Ganondorf called them over to the fire. A brown mushy material interspersed with small round crunchy things made up the meal. Link chewed thoughtfully. "You managed to find meat out here?"

Ganondorf shrugged. "Well, it had legs at one time."

Link made no further inquiries about the food after that.

Their poor luck continued with the arrival of a sudden lightning storm halfway through the next day. It gave them no rain, but did spook the horses, and Ganondorf's horse bucked him off before bolting off into the desert. All three walked after that, their supplies bundled on the back of the last horse. They lost that one two days later, when it bolted as they attempted to raise their shelter from a sudden sandstorm. They struck out that same night with the packs on their backs, as it was much cooler and they could see the ground better than atop a horse.

The Three spoke little at this point. Death was not an issue for the two Hylians; as unpleasant as it would likely be, they knew they would simply end up back in Yomi, preferably waiting for a less Ganondorf-filled lifetime. The old warlord, on the other hand, knew full well that Din would not give him a second chance to accomplish his mission. He pushed himself and the other two as much as he could, shouldering most of the burden.

The next night was cloudy, and Ganondorf refused to wait for nightfall again, a pressing need to continue battling with his better judgment. They struck out on the burning sands, the white-hot sun glaring down on them from above, teasing them with mirages of water.

Upon hearing the soft thud of a body hitting the sand, Link and Ganondorf turned to see Zelda lying on the ground. Without a word Ganondorf picked up her unconscious form and carried her with the rest of the supplies. Link watched listlessly, just waiting for his role in Ganondorf's pipe dream to end. He fell six hours later.

Ganondorf left behind everything he considered not absolutely essential for sustaining life, including Link's shield and the shelter blanket. Carrying the other two, he stumbled through the sand under the merciless sun, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, over and over and over.

_Just keep walking…just keep walking…_He wavered slightly, but managed to right himself and continue onward.

_Just keep walking…just keep walking…_

_Just keep walking…just keep walking…_

He kept it up as a silent mantra, oblivious to all else, until he came to a slight incline. At this point it might as well have been a mountain. With unsteady steps he slowly walked upward, putting all effort into keeping his balance.

A sudden wave of vertigo struck him, and the next thing he knew, both he and the other two were lying in the sand. He stared up at the sky, the sun burning into his eyeballs, and willed himself to rise. His spent body refused.

_Come on, get up! If you fail Din won't let you try again. Once she's through with you, you probably won't even remember what you wanted to do!_

Still nothing. He stared up, noticing something circling above him. _Vultures already? No…no, it's an eagle…_

_An eagle?_

_What's an eagle doing out here?_

-&-

"Pay attention!"

Ganondorf yelped as Nabooru, now the new Spirit Temple guardian, pulled his ear. Now technically a man – and King – he no longer had to refer to older women as Elder Sister; but as keeper of the Gerudo culture, Nabooru had the privilege of taking whatever means necessary to ensure the King got a proper education.

Rubbing his sore ear, Ganondorf grumbled, "This is boring. I don't care about talking to birds. Koume and Kotake have much better spells."

She made a grab for him but he dodged out of the way. "I don't ever want to hear those two outcasts' names again!" Nabooru shouted. "It's your duty as King to protect your people!"

"How does talking to birds help?"

"You're not chatting with them." She restrained herself from addressing her young King as "fool". "You are going to take possession of its mind, just for a brief moment, and see what it sees. Hawks travel long distances, and have excellent eyesight." She pointed up at the little black dot circling overhead. "Now concentrate, and do exactly what I taught you."

-&-

Ganondorf's heart ached at the memory. As a child he had adored Nabooru; but as he grew older, he began to dislike and eventually despise her. He had never realized how hard she had fought to keep him from straying from his duty.

But there was no time for that now. He closed his eyes and intoned a spell he had not used for many, many years. When he opened them again, he could see the desert spread out before him, hills and hills of sand with a tiny trail leading to three people lying prone on the ground. As the eagle banked and circled around, something else came into view.

A short plateau, very near, with greenery spread out over it.

He snapped back to himself, new life returning to his limbs. He picked up the other two and stumbled over hill after hill, sometimes dragging his companions' faces in the sand in his eagerness to keep going. After one more sand dune, he slid downward into thorny brushland at the foot of the plateau. He followed the eagle's call, knowing it must have a nest nearby, and stumbled upon a spring trickling down the plateau into a small pool.

He dropped his companions and stuck his head into the pool, enjoying the painful shock of the cold water. After taking a long drink, he grabbed Link's tunic and stuck his head in the water. Little bubbles floated up, and then Link jerked his head up, sputtering. "What the…what the hell are you…oh, water!" He ignored Ganondorf completely and took his fill of the spring.

"Just splash water on her face, idiot," Link snapped when Ganondorf attempted to do the same with Zelda, and proceeded to demonstrate. She awoke and actually pushed Link aside to get to the spring.

Once she had her fill, she looked up to see Ganondorf climbing the plateau. Incredulous, she turned to Link, who merely shrugged. "Well, it's not that high," she muttered, and started climbing as well.

"My face _really_ hurts," Link grunted.

"You've got a bad sunburn," Zelda informed him. "And…it sounds weird, but it looks like you scraped your face up somehow."

"You don't look so good yourself."

They finally emerged at the top to see Ganondorf on his knees, staring out over the countryside like a pilgrim witnessing a miracle. Before them they saw a semi-arid but colorful countryside, ruddy-colored stones interspersed with succulent plants which bore flame-colored flowers. Off in the distance, a castle – or, rather, a castle surrounded by many walls, each with its own town – glowed in the dying sunlight.

Zelda squinted. "Am I seeing things, or is that castle made of _gold?_"

"Behold," Ganondorf said so softly they could barely hear him. "Reylisia, the Motherland."

-&-

They had no food, and only two gourds full of spring water, so they stopped at a large house near the edge of the plateau. Smoke rose from the chimney, but as they approached the door they exchanged puzzled glances. The door was double-wide, and the house itself seemed wider than it was tall. What sort of person lived here? Were they friendly?

"Only one way to find out," Ganondorf grunted, knocking on the door.

"Coming!" came a cheery voice from inside the house. The door opened, and the three found themselves looking into the surprised face of a Goron. "Oh, my!"

"Is this Goron country?" Ganondorf asked, trying to hide his disappointment.

"You don't know?" the Goron waved the weary travelers inside. "You have Hylians with you…are you from Hyrule? I didn't know any Gerudo lived there anymore." Offering them chairs at his rough wooden table, he explained, "My grandfather moved here many years ago. He wanted to be a metalworker instead of a miner, but the Hylians didn't seem to think a Goron could master the art. So he brought his family to Reylisia instead. They can't get enough metalworkers…the Gerudo love their gold and jewels."

With a chuckle he motioned to the walls, on which hung simple but beautifully wrought jewelry. "He passed the family business down to me. My name's Darba, by rthe way."

"Pleased to meet you, Darba," Zelda said.

"Thanks for letting us in. We've had a long journey," Link added.

"What did you do, cross the Wastelands? Oh! That's a fine-looking piece you have," he said, indicating Ganondorf's intricate headwear. "I actually don't have the skills to make headpieces for the upper class. But I don't recognize the design. Forgive me for being forward, but which clan do you belong to?"

"Dragmire," he replied.

"Hmm…I don't believe I know that one. Oh, don't worry!" he exclaimed as Ganondorf's face fell. "I don't know all the clans, just the ones that come out here. If you go to Ariana, the capital city, you might be able to find other Dragmires. Are you here to visit relatives?"

"Something like that," Ganondorf replied evasively.

"I beg your pardon, I didn't mean to be nosy." Darba made a little bow.

"This is an odd place for a Goron to live," Link noted.

Darba shrugged. "I can get most of my food off the plateau, or from the mineral traders in Ariana. Customers don't like climbing mountains to get their orders, and I don't think I'd survive in the hustle and bustle of the city. I have some human food that I keep for my clients…if you like, you can take a bath, and then eat dinner afterward."

Zelda bowed. "Thank you so much for your hospitality."

"Oh, not at all!" he beamed. "I have to admit, I'm curious…I've never seen a Hylian before. It's not so hard for a Goron to cross the Wastelands, but I've never heard of a Hylian doing it!"

Darba proudly showed them a contraption he had rigged in the back of the house, which stored rainwater and kept it heated in the sun. He demonstrated how to mix it with well water in the large stone basin that served as a bath. The three took turns, then joined Darba in the house, where he laid out a simple but delicious dinner of bread and cheese. As Darba crunched his meal of stone, Ganondorf made a mental note to never allow a Goron to bite him in a fight.

"I see," Darba mused, chewing thoughtfully. "Well, the Gerudo here are an adventurous type, so some of them might want to try their hand at living in Hyrule. My granddad said it was a beautiful place; but cursed, somehow. He said the Hylians' good fortune came from some sacred relic of theirs, and since it was so powerful, people were always trying to steal it. In fact, I heard the Gerudo died out because they had a mad King who tried to take it."

"Yeah, so the legends say," Link replied, trying to keep a straight face, made all the harder by the scowl on Ganondorf's face.

"You're welcome to stay the night here and rest," Darba invited. "You can see the capital city from here, so it won't be hard to find."

-&-

They left early the next morning, thanking Darba. The two Hylians walked leisurely, now confident that they were on the right track to their mission's goal. Surprisingly, Ganondorf seemed more nervous than happy, and said little the whole time.

They approached the first wall, with two Gerudo women standing guard. Both held halberds like the ones in Hyrule, and wore the same baggy-style pants, but had thick silk jackets and no scarves over their faces. "Greetings. What brings you to Ariana?" the one on the right asked, in a voice that was polite but clearly indicated she would tolerate no foolishness. Her Gerudo had a strange lilt to it that irritated Ganondorf's ears, and Zelda had to struggle to understand her. Link couldn't follow it at all.

Ganondorf stepped forward. "I have come to see your King," he announced in a voice the other two generally heard only just before a fight.

Both womens' eyes traveled over his elaborate headpiece before stepping aside. "Follow the main road and you'll reach the castle."

Link and Zelda followed behind Ganondorf as they walked through the outer town, scruffy by Hylian standards but still well-maintained by its inhabitants. The two Hylians elicited stares from the few inhabitants roaming the streets, and some called to others to get them to look. Soon they had a flock of children trailing behind them.

"Would we have gotten in if you weren't wearing that jewel?" Zelda asked.

Ganondorf nodded. "Hierarchy is less important in Gerudo society, but the King generally doesn't see just anybody."

As they walked, the houses got larger and richer-looking, trading brick for tile and empty windows with glass. At each checkpoint the guards let them through with no trouble. Just before they reached the castle, they passed through a huge market, with rows and rows of stalls selling everything imaginable. They walked past piles of woven blankets, jars of spices, tables bristling with weapons, and bottles full of various potions. It was ten times brighter, louder, and richer than anything Hyrule Castle's town square had to offer. Aside from Gerudo, the stalls also held merchants of many different races that the three travelers had never seen before. Some looked like walking lizards, others like bearded dwarves, with the occasional Goron thrown in for good measure.

Suddenly they heard shouting off to their left, and turned to see a mob of people chasing someone. The Gerudo woman fleeing them shot right past the travelers, and Zelda heard a strangled gasp come from Ganondorf. "What is it?" she demanded.

"She…" he stared off where she had disappeared into the crowd. "She didn't have a headpiece."

Link frowned. "So?"

"_All_ Gerudo wear them, even the servants," he explained. "Each clan has its own design. From it you can tell which clan they belong to, and their status within the clan." He frowned. "It's hard to explain…imagine someone cutting off those pointy ears of yours." Inclined to say no more about it, he stepped forward toward the castle.

The guards at the palace gave the travel-stained trio much more scrutiny. "What is your business here?"

"I have come to speak to your King," Ganondorf told them in his "the Triforce will be mine" voice. "I want to know if any Gerudo wish to emigrate to my settlement in Hyrule."

"Hyrule?" both guards said at once. They looked dubious, but said no more about it, moving aside so the three could pass, and instructing them to leave their weapons with more guards further up.

A young woman in the entryway looked the three over, then motioned for them to follow her. She explained something that neither Link nor Zelda understood, then left them standing in front of an ornate carved door. Both looked to Ganondorf for an explanation.

His mystified expression mirrored that of the other two. "They want us to clean up…again…and said there's new clothes inside."

Link scratched his head. He didn't recall the Gerudo back home being so concerned about appearances.

Inside the room were several large, ornate bathtubs, each one curtained off. Next to each stood a dresser with several sets of clothing. They emerged all wearing tough, heavy silk in bright Gerudo colors. Zelda wore a wraparound skirt and short-sleeved blouse, whereas Ganondorf and Link wore long-sleeved robes. "This looks familiar," Ganondorf muttered.

"You wore it in that lifetime when the whole country was underwater, remember?" Link said.

"Oh, yeah." He frowned at Link. "Doesn't suit you," he said.

Link shrugged. "I'm not here to make a fashion statement."

Another guard led them to the throne room. Here all three nearly fell over in awe. Precious stones had been embedded into the walls, and silk tapestries as well as ornate decorations made of iridescent feathers hung from all sides. A gigantic mirror at the far end, covering an entire wall, made the room seem bigger than it really was – already larger than Zelda's own throne room. Scores of people dressed in eye-popping colors of the finest silk stood about, staring and openly discussing the strange-looking travelers. Woven rugs covered the entire floor, with a red carpet leading to the throne, made of material so soft one could comfortably sleep there.

On the throne itself sat a tall, heavily muscled man who looked like he could easily be Ganondorf's cousin or even brother. He wore flowing, wide-leg pants and jeweled sandals, but his shoulders and chest were bare, as if to advertise to the world that he was too strong and too secure to worry about any threats to his person. Across his lap he held a scimitar which, to Link's trained eye, seemed deceptively simple; but he could tell it could stand up to any weapon, and was possibly even made of platinum. His headpiece extended in a spidery pattern of silver links down to his neck and shoulders.

"King Ridiyah, Lord of all Reylisia and Chief of the Gerudo Clans, I bring three travelers who seek an audience with you," the guard announced.

Standing in front of him, the two Hylians looked to Ganondorf for the proper protocol. He fell to one knee, one hand over his breast, head slightly inclined. The other two followed suit.

In a booming voice, the Reylisian King asked the travelers something, likely what they were doing there. Ganondorf replied in a strong but respectful tone. Link noted that the King also registered confusion upon hearing Ganondorf mention Hyrule. He began peppering the old warlord with questions.

Link expected the King to show one of two emotions; interest or disinterest. To his great surprise, Ridiyah's face registered anger. The more Ganondorf talked, the angrier he got. Link looked to Zelda for an explanation, but at the other side of Ganondorf, she couldn't discreetly translate for him.

Abruptly the King stood up, whacking his scimitar against his throne with an especially sharp remark. Link looked on in shock as Ganondorf got down on both knees and pressed his head to the floor. He had figured that this man would outrank him in some way, but Ganondorf had never shown this kind of subservience to anyone. Even Zelda looked surprised and slightly scared.

The King stomped down from his dais and pointed an accusing finger at Ganondorf, whose shoulders began to tremble ever so slightly. _He's really screaming at him,_ Link thought furtively, wishing he hadn't relinquished his sword. _What on earth is he saying that would get him so shook up?_

Ganondorf said something barely audible, and Ridiyah's sharp stare abruptly switched to Link, who instinctively reached for the sword that was not there. The King sneered and began to laugh, the entire room joining him. Then Ridiyah pointed to Link and uttered some kind of command.

"He wants you to fight him." Link could barely hear Ganondorf's voice next to him.

"What?!" Link demanded. "Why?!"

"Just do it!"

Link stood, and followed the King into the middle of the room, where a soldier handed him his sword. Still sneering, the King raised his sword in an attack position and nodded to him. "_Khut!_"

Link drew his own sword and steadied himself, wishing he had his shield.

"_Mach!_" The King rushed forward, sword upraised. When he smashed it down, Link jumped nimbly out of the way. _If he's strong and slow like Ganondorf, he probably fights like Ganondorf…I just have to make sure I stay focused…_

Link darted behind him and made a swipe with his sword, which Ridiyah caught. They crossed swords numerous times, Link using every method he could to disperse the King's powerful strikes. To his surprise and relief, Ridiyah didn't seem to know any sorcery; in any case, he didn't use it at all.

After a good ten minutes of this, with neither making a single mark on the other, the King jumped back with his hand upraised. "_Yoi!_" he shouted, now all smiles. The room erupted in applause as the King nodded slightly to Link. Link bowed, assuming he had passed whatever test that had been thrust upon him, and impatient to have Ganondorf translate this whole mess.

Once back with his companions, Link watched as the King stood on the dais and made an announcement, which resulted in more applause. Link saw a brief flash of sadness cross Ganondorf's face, and he began to panic. "What did he say?" Link demanded. "Is he going to make me fight in a coliseum or something?"

Ganondorf shook his head and stood, motioning to the others to do the same. "He says that we three are honored guests, and may stay as long as we like in the palace."

Stunned, Link asked after a moment of silence, "Then…how is this bad?"

Ganondorf closed his eyes. "I am also a guest, not a brother. I allowed my people to perish. This is…an inexcusable disgrace. In their eyes, I am no longer Gerudo."


	6. Myrissa

The guard led them down a long hallway every bit as lavishly decorated as the throne room

The guard led them down a long hallway every bit as lavishly decorated as the throne room. Finally she stopped, motioning toward three doors next to each other on one side of the hall, and left after a short explanation. Ganondorf immediately went in one of the doors and shut it behind him; Link looked to Zelda for a translation.

"She said that we are welcome to join the King for dinner in a couple of hours; in the meantime, these are our rooms and there are clothes inside to change if we like."

Link fingered the sweaty collar of his robe. "Sounds good to me. I'll meet you in your room in a minute, okay? I have a million questions."

He opened the door and stood for a moment, stunned. An enormous four-poster bed painted in gold leaf stood at one end, a huge walk-in closet on the other end. A sort of curtain made of brocade half-hid a raised bath in the corner, surrounded by a short perimeter of stone in the otherwise deeply carpeted room.

His curiosity got the better of him and he examined the clothing in the closet, fingering the raw silk and looking for something comfortable but simple to wear. Finally selecting a plain shirt and slacks in pale green, he strode over to the bath. Even though he had washed up at Darba's house, it hadn't done anything for his aching limbs. After filling it with hot water, he pulled off the robe and got in.

The hot water came from a tap on the side; he didn't need to heat it or anything. Cold water came out of a second one. And then there was a third, the purpose of which he could not determine. He pushed it down and sweet-smelling, thick liquid came out. It reminded him of honey, but he made a face at the horribly bitter taste. It foamed up in the hot water.

He jumped upon hearing his door open. "Don't you ever knock?" he demanded upon seeing Zelda poke her head in. "This isn't your castle, after all."

"I was wondering what happened to you." She stepped in and stopped, staring. "What on earth are you doing?"

He was now completely encased in white foam. "I'm not really sure," he admitted, embarrassed. "There was an extra tap on the bath, see, and I…" He scowled at her laughter. "Yeah, I suppose this is just a regular thing for you."

"Actually, this place is a lot more lavish than Hyrule Castle has ever been." She walked over to his side, giving the room a brief look. "Mine's very much the same."

"Hey! How about a little privacy?"

"It's not like I can see anything with all the bubbles…"

"I don't care, this is weird, talking in the bath. Give me a second." He snapped the curtains shut, then emerged a few minutes later, wearing the new clothes. "You want to shed some light on what happened back there?"

She sat in one of the overstuffed chairs, and he sat down next to her. Her face now looked much more serious. "Din was right when she said we had to come with him. I didn't think we'd be much help, but you ended up saving both his mission and his life."

"What? How so?"

She sighed, looking out the window with a pensive expression. "When we first came in, the King asked what we wanted. Ganondorf stated that he had come to ask if any Gerudo were interested in moving to Hyrule. So naturally the King asks why we've gone through all this trouble. Ganondorf had to tell him that he'd lost his clan. That's when the yelling started." A little crease appeared on her forehead. "The King got really nasty…called him a worthless piece of filth, not fit to be even a servant among them."

Link's mouth dropped open. "And Ganondorf just sat there and took it? If I…heck, if anyone said that to him, it'd take a week to find all the pieces of the person once he was through with them…"

Zelda looked directly at Link. "You have to understand…Ganondorf always considered himself and his people superior to the Hylians. All those lifetimes ago, when he first plotted to steal the Triforce, I could sense his blood boil whenever my father spoke of them as his subjects. But King Ridiyah is chief of the Gerudo clans…Ganondorf respects him."

Scratching his head, Link asked, "Well, what was the fight all about?"

"When King Ridiyah asked how Ganondorf lost his people, he explained that he was defeated by the two of us, or more specifically you. Unfortunately, the King doesn't know anything about you, so he figured Ganondorf must be extremely weak to lose to you." Link snorted and she smiled briefly, then returned to her somber expression. "He challenged you to see if you were really capable of bringing down a Gerudo king. If he had hit you even once…he would have killed Ganondorf on the spot and kicked us both out of the country."

Link shivered slightly at Ridiyah's callous nature. "But he doesn't know anything about me…did Ganondorf even explain how the Triforce works?"

"No, and it's probably best that he didn't. We have our hands full keeping Hyrule stable as it is."

"I understand that, but…oh well. I guess I just can't picture Ganondorf…" his voice trailed off.

"I know."

They sat in silence for several minutes. Finally, Link asked, "What should we do now?"

"I have no idea. We'll have to ask Ganondorf…it's his mission after all."

"Somehow I don't think he'll be in the mood to talk to us."

"We don't have to ask him now. I have a feeling we'll be staying here for a few days. We might as well…we've had a rough trip."

They heard a knock at the door. "Come in!" Link called.

The guard poked her head in. "Dinner will begin shortly. Will you join us?"

"Of course. We'll be down shortly," Zelda replied.

The guard turned around and left, and the two Hylians could see Ganondorf standing in the doorway, waiting for them. He wore a cloak in somber colors, or at least in comparison to the rest of the populace. His brows furrowed. "Link?"

"Yes?"

"You're not planning on going to dinner in your pajamas, are you?"

-&-

In a grand banquet hall the King sat at the head of the table, the chiefs of the other Gerudo clans joining him. Three chairs stood empty next to the King, places of honor for the three travelers. The candelabras on the table shone in the dim light, the flame of the candles reflected in silver plates.

Servants in simple but finely woven clothes and thin headpieces carried in finger-bowls, then pitchers of red wine. King Ridiyah chattered away, speaking to Link through Ganondorf. "So are there many fighters of your caliber in Hyrule?"

"Er, well…" Link stumbled, never one to boast. "Hyrule has seen its fair share of warriors over the years. The Goron leader is always quite strong…and the Gerudo who lived in Hyrule were known to be quite fierce…"

The King waved his hand dismissively. "You seem quite skilled with that type of sword. Tell me about your greatest battle."

"Uh…I fought a dragon once…"

"To defeat one of our own, you must have had some amazing strategy. Tell me about it."

Zelda narrowed her eyes as she realized what Ridiyah was doing. Looking supremely uncomfortable, Link described – at the King's bidding – a detailed account of one of his fights with Ganondorf. For his part, the old warlord acted as if he were not connected at all, dutifully translating every word.

She recognized the expression on his face. It was the same look she had seen lifetimes ago, when Ganondorf had hidden his intentions from her father. But back then, Zelda could sense his ambition bubbling just below the surface. Now, he seemed strangely devoid of emotion, intent on saving what little face he had left.

Ridiyah's demeanor hardened as Ganondorf's voice and manner stayed level. "Well, it's true the Dragmire clan were skilled sorcerers." He paused, waiting for the translation, then said with thinly veiled relish, "It's a shame there aren't any left."

Ganondorf stiffened ever so slightly, his eyes wavering. Zelda could tell the statement had rocked him to the core, though he strove to hide it from the others. Link looked up, puzzled. Just as the King opened his mouth to press him, Zelda spoke. "Begging your pardon, Your Highness," she said with her most gracious smile, "but would you mind if I translated for Link? I've been waiting for a chance to improve my Gerudo."

Ridiyah's smile hardened, but he replied, "Of course, of course."

She translated. "What happened?" Link asked.

Shrugging, the King answered, "They never made it back from Hyrule."

"But…Din said…" Link looked to Zelda for an answer. She gave him a look that clearly stated they would discuss it later.

"Enough talk!" Ridiyah announced. "Time to eat, drink, and be merry!"

-&-

The two Hylians met in Zelda's room this time, Ganondorf shut in his room once again. "Din _told_ us that Myrissa had taken on the Hylian Gerudo's souls. They've _got_ to be here," Link reasoned.

Zelda sighed as she sat in the chair, eyes downcast. "They may have been born into other families. I don't think our Goddesses know any of the particulars. They may not have realized there would be a development like this."

"And what was going on with King Ridiyah?" Link scowled at the door. "I mean, I don't like Ganondorf either, but was it me or was he deliberately trying to humiliate him further? And why?"

"I don't know what the unwritten laws of this place are," Zelda admitted. "It's obvious from Ganondorf's reaction that he committed a serious crime in their eyes."

"Then why did he bother to come, if he knew he'd just get yelled at for losing his people?"

Zelda closed her eyes briefly, her voice soft. "He is the last of his people, and has been for many years. No doubt he jumped at even the smallest chance to be among them once again."

Link sat back in his chair, frowning. "Do you feel sorry for him?"

"I do feel some degree of empathy, yes. Though he is our enemy, he is still bonded to us by the will of the Hylian Goddesses. He fought alongside us against Onima, to keep Hyrule in the Goddesses' possession. Besides…I was looking forward to welcoming the Gerudo back to Hyrule."

"I know…" Link sat back in the chair, silently pondering for several minutes. Then he sat up straight and said, "You know what's bothering me? This isn't like him at all. I can't believe he's just going to take this lying down."

"He has been acting very similar to how he did in talks with my father…I have no doubt that he is hiding his true thoughts and emotions, whatever they may be."

Link's eyebrows shot up. "You think he's going to try and take over Reylisia?"

"No…" Zelda shook her head. "I sense no ambition in him…yet. You have to admit this must be a great shock for him. I imagine he'll recover eventually."

-&-

The next day, a smiling woman in flashy garments came to their doors with a dazzling smile. "My name is Otama," she informed them with a bubbly, lilting voice. "I am in charge of making sure visitors to our fine city enjoy their stay. Would you like a tour?"

"Sure, why not?" Link said after Zelda translated. Ganondorf looked bleary-eyed, as if he hadn't slept at all, but he nodded as well.

She led them to an enclosed carriage, drawn by a large white horse. The inside had been cushioned with embroidered pillows, and large open windows allowed them to see out. The carriage rolled lazily down the cobblestone road, great houses rising up on either side. "This is where the chieftains live with their families," she explained. "As you can imagine, the houses must be very large, to accommodate the cheftains' wives and children. The rest of the clan may live in the capital city, or may be scattered throughout Reylisia."

A small girl in colorful robes waved to the carriage; Link and Zelda returned it. Ganondorf sat staring out the opposite window, apparently disinterested.

"This is the morning market," Otama announced proudly as they turned a corner and pushed into a cacophony of yelling merchants and haggling women. "You can buy everything here from a single apple to the finest silk robes to be found anywhere."

"Can we get out and look around?" Link asked, always interested in new tools and weapons.

Otama gave him a smile that made her look like a china doll. "For your own convenience, we will provide an escort for you after the tour is over."

"I don't really need an escort. I can take care of myself pretty well…is it dangerous here?"

"Oh, not at all!" Otama's eyes widened. "No, we have excellent security here. You see, even though the sorcerer's caste has been gone for many years…" here Ganondorf looked up, "…we still have some old relics of their past arts. One of them is the Clockwork Hound, our main enforcer besides the guards."

"And what is the Clockwork Hound?" Ganondorf asked, the first words of his own since meeting the King.

The woman's eyes shone upon describing the creature. "It is a mechanical dog, sir, whose nose has been enhanced with sorcery. It can track any thief or criminal by smell, can run faster than any horse, and its teeth are laced with poison that kills instantly."

They all winced upon hearing these words combined with the guide's eager smile. "This seems paradoxical," Link said to Ganondorf.

"The Gerudo don't steal from each other." He had a look of thinly veiled disgust on his face. "From other people, that's a different matter entirely. But I've never heard of anything like this Hound. How humiliating…to be killed by a machine!"

"Um…I've fought machines in your army," Link reminded him.

"Yes, but they were still connected to my consciousness," Ganondorf explained. "This is…just a hunk of unfeeling metal, with no one controlling it." Link distinctly felt him shiver.

"Over here," the guide brought their attention to the other side of the carriage, "is the Golden Temple, the greatest temple to Myrissa in Reylisia." Link watched them approach an ornate, almost gaudy, temple with masses of people milling about its front doors.

"I'm going to go in the Temple." Ganondorf put his hand on the door.

Otama smiled like a robot. "For your convenience…"

He gave her a sideways look and pulled at the handle, making the hinges creak with the strain.

"Oh, oh!" Otama raised her hands in a panic and barked an order to the driver. "We can go inside, if you want to that badly."

Looking shaken, she opened the door for the three of them and led them through the enormous double doors, which depicted the snake goddess doing everything from sheltering her people from a storm, to unleashing a blast of instant death on an unlucky village.

Immediately upon entering, they noticed the people around them split, with Gerudo going one way and foreigners another. As Ganondorf attempted to join the Gerudo, two guards stepped in front of him. "Excuse me," one said softly but firmly, "but I'm afraid I can't let you through here."

Zelda frowned in puzzlement. Ganondorf still wore his elaborate headpiece. Did the guards know all the Reylisian males by sight? Or had the King's statement yesterday already reached them? She saw him clench his hands for a brief moment, then turn around, his face impassive.

Otama led them to the foreigner's worship room, which as far as Link and Zelda were concerned was certainly as ornate and richly decorated as anything else they had seen. Worshippers bowed before an enormous golden statue very similar to that in the Spirit Temple, resting their knees on soft cushions and pressing their heads to the plush carpeting on the floor. "Would you like to hear the story of the Goddess' Creation?" Otama asked.

"Certainly," Zelda replied, as Ganondorf walked past them into the room. Doubtless he knew the story by heart.

"At the beginning of Time," Otama began, "A man and a woman lived together in a tiny house. They tried for many years to have children, but the woman could not. The woman prayed to the gods and pleaded to have a child, even one deformed or crippled. At last, her prayers were answered, and she gave birth; but the child had no legs, only the tail of a snake!

"The woman remained true to her word and doted on the child. The man, however, left in disgust. Before he left, they argued, the man accusing the woman of loving the child more. He cursed the baby, so that her womb would only bear a male child once every hundred years.

"But the child had too much fire in her spirit to let a curse rule her life. Her mother named her Myrissa, good over bad, light over dark, beauty over ugliness. Both traits she would have, but the good side would always win out over the bad.

"Myrissa wanted children herself, but no man would have her. Eventually, she laid an egg just like a snake. When it hatched, she found thousands of people inside! They cried for food and shelter. Myrissa cut her arm and the blue blood became water; she ground the eggshell that became sand and stone for building.

"But her people inherited her same curse. Undaunted, Myrissa promised them that they would never die out, and that she would always watch over them." Otama finished with her now-familiar smile.

Link and Zelda entered the dim room, carefully stepping around the worshippers and examining the statue with interest. Link looked around at all the people of different races. He didn't understand why they had to worship separately. Myrissa had created the Gerudo, but she seemed just as open to "adopting" other "children" as Din had.

The people all around him ignored him, engrossed in their prayers. Some bowed eagerly, perhaps hoping for a lucky year, a new child, or success in their job. Others seemed distressed, wiping away tears or moaning their prayers, obviously asking Myrissa to show them compassion for their sorrows.

One individual had been silent this whole time, but now broke into low sobs, moaning in between words of deepest grief. Link could not understand the words, but clearly the person seemed to be begging for her deliverance, tormented by some unspeakable loss. The cries of anguish cut Link's heart, and he turned to offer his condolences.

He froze in place with a swift intake of breath. "…Ganondorf?"

Link had just enough time to catch sight of one amber eye staring into his own, shock and fury jolting his soul. The next thing he knew he was sitting on the ground in a daze after hitting the far wall. He raised his head unsteadily to see the worshippers scattering before Ganondorf, the old warlord's wrath at a level he'd never seen before, his face twisted in pure rage as he came for Link with his fist upraised.

Link scrambled out of the way just as Ganondorf's fist connected with the wall, making the entire room shake. He stumbled out of the room into the main entryway, where Zelda and Otama stood watching in terror.

A series of guards stepped between Ganondorf and the crowd. He stopped just short of striking them, and roared in their faces. Bristling with swords and scimitars, they replied in like kind. A shouting match ensued, drowning out the screams of the terrified visitors. Finally Ganondorf plowed his way through them, ignoring the cut of the blades, and stormed out of the Temple.

Otama turned pale and ran after him. "Wait, wait! You can't leave!" she cried, several guards following her.

"What on earth was that about?" Zelda demanded of Link.

"I'm not sure." Link wiped his forehead, shaken by what he had seen…and not just the anger, either. "He…I caught him in a moment of weakness, I think, and he's already under so much stress…"

She stared doubtfully out the doors. "Should we go after him?"

"No. I think we should let him cool off. I think the sight of us will just make him more angry…"

Zelda nodded slowly. "Let's go back to the palace. We'll wait for him there."


	7. The Goddess Speaks

Some three hours later, Ganondorf roamed aimlessly through one of the lower tiers of the city, having long since lost both the

Some three hours later, Ganondorf roamed aimlessly through one of the lower tiers of the city, having long since lost both the insane tour guide and her guards. He did not want to return to the castle, but felt too restless to stop.

Finally exhausted, he sat down in a little public courtyard with a small well in the middle, the local watering hole. But with the late hour and the chilly weather, few people left their homes. No one needed the cheery guard fires with the entire city surrounded by walls. He pulled up the bucket from the well, loud screeches of protest echoing from the pulley in the silence of the night. After drinking his fill, he sat down again, dejected.

_What now?_

As he sat, his mind began an argument with itself. _You heard the King. Your clan is gone. There is nothing more for you to do here._

_But I don't want to go back with the Hylians. Din said my people came here._

_They might have been born into other families. But they won't give up their clans to follow a failed King! Especially not back to that pile of rocks!_

_I tire of the Hylian Goddesses and their blasted Hero. I don't want to serve as their demolition man. Perhaps I could ask to be accepted into one of the other clans…_

_As a breeder?! They'll never take you as a Gerudo, only as a foreigner. You can't call your wife and children your own._

_But I made a promise…_He reached into the pocket and took out the mangled toy soldier he had found in the ruins of the fortress, a pitiful artifact of a more hopeful life.

_To whom? The dead? Your promises are worthless. There is no one left to hear them. _Ganondorf angrily ground the tiny statue under his heel, then wiped his eyes. _For Myrissa's sake, be a man. Why are you blubbering like a child? You are the immortal embodiment of Power._

_I want to be among my own people._

The other Bearers are your people now. They have known you longer and better than any of the Gerudo.

"I don't want any connection to them!" He shouted aloud in protest, then glanced around, embarrassed.

_You have even less connection to these people. Have you noticed their lack of strong warriors? How many children do you suppose go through adulthood training?_

_Perhaps they could use a more…traditional king…_

Don't even consider it. Weak as they are, if you can't take over Hyrule, you can't take over Reylisia.

_So…what now?_

All signs seemed to point back to returning to Hyrule, but he did not want to admit defeat even now. He sat in the chilly air, staring up at the stars, hoping for inspiration to hit him.

His ears picked up the sound of footsteps, very small and quiet. He turned to see a thin, small girl – perhaps six or seven years of age – walking toward the well with a bucket nearly half her size. As she approached the well, she glanced at Ganondorf's headpiece, then nodded with a hint of uncertainty. "Hello, Uncle."

He nodded back. 'Uncle' was a polite term of address for an unrelated older male. No reply was expected of him, but when she began pulling at the ropes, he offered, "Would you like some help?"

"No, thank you. I can do it myself," she said with a child's stubborn pride. A ghost of a smile returned to Ganondorf's face at the famous self-sufficiency of his people.

"Is there a reason you're getting water in the middle of the night?"

"Ma's sick." She hefted the bucket over the side with an air of one who is too busy to make small talk.

"Well, it would be rude of me to just sit here." Ganondorf picked up a rusty bucket at the side of the well, and filled that one too. After a few protests, she allowed him to follow her home.

"My granny's really good at telling fortunes," she informed him. "Would you like your fortune told? It's only five myar."

Ganondorf had no idea how many rupees made up five myar, but he could tell from the tone of her voice that she was trying to drum up business. Likely her family needed to find another source of income, with a sick head female. And, of course, a Gerudo never admitted weakness or asked for assistance from an outsider, even a Gerudo from another clan. "Certainly," he said.

At a small adobe home, the girl pushed aside a heavy fabric curtain that served as a door, and walked in with an announcement. "Granny! There's a man here who wants his fortune told!"

Like most Gerudo homes, this one had a relatively large main room, with entryways leading to sleeping chambers. The lack of a rug on the floor told him that the family had indeed fallen on hard times.

An elderly woman, more likely a great-grandmother, approached him. Ganondorf sensed her confusion upon seeing his headpiece. "Hello, my friend. Are you in need of spiritual guidance? I can assure you that the Great Goddess has chosen me as a medium. Why, our neighbor asked me for help with finding a lost goat, and I found it along with another one besides…"

Ganondorf nodded absently as she rolled out her verbal resume, listing a number of miracles she attributed to herself. This was usual, though not necessarily believable. She invited him into her sleeping chambers, which she had converted into a part-time office. In one corner stood a large shrine to Myrissa, the incense filling the house with a dusty, sweet scent. On a table in the middle lay some old bones, iridescent tail feathers, and a gem or two, all hallmarks of the Gerudo fortune-teller.

She bid him sit down on the one cushion in the room, and gestured toward the statue in the corner. "Would you like to make an offering to the Goddess?"

This was his cue to give her the five myar, or more if he desired a more detailed fortune. He hesitated for a moment, then slowly undid the clasps of his headpiece and pulled it out, letting his hair fall in a mass around his shoulders. He felt strangely light-headed, and not just from the lack of weight on his forehead.

The old woman tried to hide her shock, but could not conceal her shaking hands as she took it from him and set it upon the shrine. "Very well then," she said with a weak smile. "I will do my best to ask the Goddess how to handle this small problem for you."

Picking up a small wooden wand, she pushed the items on the table around and around. "Ah, ah…the spirits are particularly stubborn today…but no matter, we'll get this sorted out.

Little beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and Ganondorf could tell she had no idea what to say. Likely she only dispensed the usual advice regarding marital disputes and disagreements between friends. All very helpful in normal Gerudo society, but nothing compared to the type of answers Ganondorf sought. He found himself not caring. In giving up his headpiece, he had opened up possibilities to a new identity, whether the woman could help him search for one or not.

"I see…great things in your future…ah yes…" Unable to concentrate, she fell back on the old tactic of saying what she felt her customer wanted to hear. "Great riches, and power, and a large family…"

Nodding mechanically, Ganondorf waited for her to finish so he could leave. Suddenly she stiffened and he looked up, opening his mouth to ask her if she was all right.

_"My lost child,"_ she said in a deep, sibilant, ethereal voice. _"So many trials you have suffered! Fear not, for I have a higher purpose for you. Tonight, I shall send you a sign."_

Ganondorf leaped to his feet, practically shouting in the old woman's face, "What kind of a sign? Where?"

The old woman shook herself as if waking from a trance. "I'm sorry…what? Was it something I said?"

-&-

Link had never felt so uncomfortable in his life.

He sat up to his neck in hot water, in a huge pool with painted frescoes and jeweled tiles set in the walls. Large doors let in the morning sunlight. It would have been relaxing if not for the fact that he was not wearing anything, and neither was King Ridiyah next to him.

He understood the custom of a communal bathhouse. That was not what bothered him. However, he had a sneaking suspicion that the King was deliberately trying to make him feel vulnerable, and sensed that the young warrior did not like being separated from his weapons or his clothing. Link suspected that Ridiyah wanted to separate him from Zelda, for what purpose he did not know. And the only way to do that was to go to the men's baths, where women weren't allowed.

Both Hylians had stayed up all night waiting for Ganondorf, but he never appeared. Early in the morning, the King approached them asking if they would like to relax in the baths. Link protested, on the grounds that he didn't know enough Gerudo for a meaningful conversation.

The King pulled a little pill-like object from his pocket and put it in his ear, giving one to Link and motioning for him to do the same. He did so, and started in astonishment as he heard the King's voice speak in perfect Hylian. "Do you understand?"

"Of course." Link took the device out of his ear, examined it, then placed it back in. "A translation device? Why didn't you use it before?"

Ridiyah made a little bow of apology. "We rarely deal with people so far from here, whose languages we do not know. And since sorcery is mostly a thing of the past, this device had been hidden away in a storeroom."

So in the baths, Ridiyah peppered Link with questions about his training, his methods, his strengths versus Ganondorf's weaknesses. He asked about Hyrule, what kind of country it was, how Zelda ruled. Link decided very early on to give as little information as possible, and not mention the Triforce at all. But Ridiyah seemed able to glean information from him even when he gave none.

_Darn it,_ Link thought furtively. _I'm no good at these mind-games. No wonder he separated me from Zelda…she and Ganondorf are much better at this sort of thing than I am…but what on earth does he want from me?_

"You know," Ridiyah said slowly, "if you like, I can allow Ganondorf to stay here. I doubt any of our people would want to go to Hyrule…begging your pardon. We don't have a very good history with it, as you well know."

Confused, Link asked, "But…you don't seem to like him at all. Why would you welcome him here?"

"Well, he'd be considered a foreigner…and really, he is, as he's never lived in Reylisia. But he'd be more comfortable around Gerudo, surely? Why don't you let me take him off your hands? He seems to have caused your people a great deal of trouble…we can handle him much more easily."

Link did not trust Ridiyah's offers of help to him and kindness toward Ganondorf any further than he could throw the enormous man. Something weird was going on. Was Ridiyah trying to get them to leave? Why not just say so? Why leave Ganondorf behind? Did Ridiyah intend to kill him once they left? Why not do so anyway, since Ganondorf himself had identified Link and Zelda as his adversaries? Did Ridiyah want to use the failed Gerudo King for some twisted purpose? Did he have his eye on Hyrule too?

Link concentrated, trying to commit the entire conversation to memory, hoping Zelda could pick something significant out of it once he saw her again.

-&-

Ganondorf wandered aimlessly through the streets, slowly weaving his way back toward the palace. _What is a sign from a Goddess supposed to look like? Am I going to start getting weird dreams, like Zelda? Maybe I should ask her…no…then she'll want to know why I'm asking and I really don't want to explain it…not to them…_

The sound of running footsteps jerked him out of his thoughts. He heard one person, plainly in a hurry, and…something else he could not identify. He heard a clattering sound like metal on stone, and a strange jingling. Both sets of sounds grew louder, and he paused to locate the source.

Suddenly a Gerudo woman tore past him, the same one he had seen before, missing her headpiece. He turned round to see what she was running from, and a huge dog burst out of the shadows, gleaming in the moonlight; made entirely of metal.

Instinctively Ganondorf stepped between the woman and the dog, spreading his hands apart to stop it. The mechanical dog, puffs of acrid green smoke spurting from its joints, leaped onto Ganondorf and bowled the big man over as if he were no obstacle at all. Stunned, Ganondorf pulled himself up and took off after the two of them.

The woman moved quickly, but slowly forward, dodging left and right to avoid the dog. For its part, the Clockwork Hound barreled through crates and laundry hung out to dry, taking no notice of her attempts to break his trail. The woman jumped onto a roof but slipped, hanging onto the edge. The Hound crouched in anticipation for its prey.

Ganondorf leaped upon the creature's back, wrapping his hands around its neck. The dog threw itself backward with tremendous force, and he fought to hold on. "What are you doing?!" he heard the woman shout. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

Indeed, the dog seemed to lose interest in the woman for a moment, and concentrated on attempting to bite its attacker. Ganondorf remembered the insane guide speaking of its poisoned teeth, and punched it hard in the side of its mouth, dislocating its jaw. He shook his hand in pain; whatever this thing was made of, it was extremely tough.

He picked it up and hurled it bodily into a wall. It merely flipped back onto its feet and came for him, light glinting off its poisoned teeth.

The woman hurled herself into its side, throwing it off its trajectory into an alley. She grabbed Ganondorf's hand and pulled him along with her. "You fool!" she snapped. "It knows your smell now! The sorcery in that thing's nose can find you a mile away!"

"Sorcery?" He looked over his shoulder at the creature, gaining quickly. The woman's eyes went wide as he summoned a ball of magical energy and hurled it at the dog, hitting it square on the nose. It howled as if in pain and pawed at its snout. Ganondorf summoned another ball of energy, clenching his hand and forming a spear of purplish light. He thrust it into the Clockwork Hound, which thrashed around for a few moments, then lay still.

He turned to the woman, who stared at him with undisguised astonishment. "You…you know sorcery?"

He nodded, and did a double-take as he noticed her clothing. The fabric had a familiar pattern, bold blue lines interspersed with yellow. "Is that…that's Dragmire weaving!"

She stepped back, snarling. "What's it to you?"

He followed her eagerly, taking no notice of her angry demeanor. "I'm Dragmire too! The King told me there weren't any left! I come from Hyrule…"

She drew her scimitar and shoved it in his face. "All Dragmire left Hyrule after the Great Famine, save one, and we do not speak of him."

"But…why don't you have a headpiece?"

"Why don't _you?_"

Ganondorf stretched his hand forward in spite of the scimitar, so very close. The woman's bossy demeanor seemed strangely familiar. "…Nabooru…?"

Her eyes widened. "How do you, an outsider, know the name of my ancestress?"

He stifled a cry of joy. This woman must be Nabooru's reincarnation! "Nabooru, it's Ganondorf. I remember you, even if you don't remember me…"

She slashed him across the face and he clutched his cut cheek in surprise. "Stay away from me!" she commanded, then spoke a few words of a spell.

The entire world seemed to melt around him, and he fell to his knees in a fit of nausea. By the time it passed, the woman was long gone.


	8. Down the Rabbit Hole

In Link's room this time, Zelda sat with her head down and hand to her lips in concentration as Link repeated as much of his conversation with Ridiyah as he could remember. "I think there's definitely something strange going on," she said at last, "but I can't see any deeper into his intentions than you can. I might have been able to pick up on his tone of voice I was there, but the additional intuition I usually have is a bit low at the moment." She raised her hand with the dull mark for emphasis. "I tried to ask the women in the baths some questions, but they kept changing the subject."

Link sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Ganondorf was here. Maybe he could shed some light on this."

Zelda was about to reply when they heard a loud knock on the door. A smiling Gerudo woman with retina-twisting bright clothes stood there. "Hello, special guests of the Reylisian throne. Would you like to continue your tour?"

"Where's Otama?" Link asked.

"I am Otama," the woman replied with an even brighter smile.

Zelda's eyes narrowed. "We may be foreigners, but we can tell one Gerudo from another. Are all guides called Otama?"

Nodding, the woman replied, "Yes, it is a title of sorts. Will you come with me?"

Link followed, the explanation good enough for him. Zelda followed also, a little worried crease at the bridge of her nose betraying her suspicions.

They walked through the courtyard toward the castle gates, and Zelda didn't notice the man walking past them until he was a few feet behind. "Ganondorf? What in the name of Nayru happened to you?"

He glanced down at himself in puzzlement, looking for blood or gashes.

"Your headpiece is missing!" Link, never very subtle, pointed at his forehead. "I thought that was important."

Ganondorf waved them away. "Sleep now. Talk later." He turned back toward the palace.

Link sprinted in front of him. "'Talk later?' What kind of reply is that? You go missing all night and half the day and that's the explanation you give us?"

"Who are you, my mother?" Ganondorf shoved him so hard Link fell over, then walked unsteadily up the steps.

"What was all that about?" Link demanded as Zelda helped him up. "He's even moodier than he was in the desert."

She sighed. "I don't know…we'll just have to wait until he's ready to talk."

"Great," Link grumbled. "It'll be another two lifetimes before we get to go home."

They returned to Link's room, next to Ganondorf's, so they would be able to hear if he left. The old warlord slept well into the evening, making no sound at all until a sharp knock at his door jolted the two Hylians out of their reverie.

A servant stood in front of the door with a covered plate. As Ganondorf opened the door to accept it, Link jumped in the doorway. "Are you going to tell us what's going on _now?_"

In answer, Ganondorf shut the door on him, hard. Zelda winced as Link yelped, one arm and leg caught between the door and the frame. Link took a moment to shake out the pain of the injured limbs, then ran in the room with Zelda behind him.

"Get out of my room," Ganondorf grunted as he sat at a little table, uncovering the curried goat dish the servant had brought. "I'm eating. We'll talk later."

Link pushed the plate away from him. "Quit making excuses. You owe us an explanation."

"I don't owe you anything." His face darkened and a flash of his old enmity surfaced as he jerked Link's arm slightly, threatening to break it. "Get out."

"Enough!" Zelda shouted. "Link, let him eat. Ganondorf, we don't mean to press you, but the King has been doing and saying some strange things that we need you to interpret."

"Oh?" Ganondorf looked up at her, suddenly interested, and the two Hylians noticed for the first time that he had his hair neatly tied back with a bit of leather. Digging into the curry with his spoon, he asked, "What did the King do?"

Link recounted his strange experience in the bathhouse. Ganondorf nodded periodically as he ate, to indicate he was listening. "Well? What do you think?"

Ganondorf didn't bat an eye. "He's afraid of you."

The other two exchanged glances. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "He wants to get rid of you two as soon as possible. All he knows is that you defeated a Gerudo King. He doesn't know anything about the balance of the Triforce, remember, or Master Swords, or Sages. So, he tries to put you at ease – the bathhouse is supposed to be a place for relaxing – and offers to keep me out of your hair, in the hopes that you'll turn around and go home."

Zelda frowned. "I know this sounds strange, but let me ask it from a purely strategic viewpoint…why didn't he offer to kill you, or ask why we kept you alive? He doesn't seem to like you very much."

If Ganondorf felt offended by this, he didn't show it. "He's probably been wondering about this arrangement from the beginning…why you'd want to bring the Gerudo back if they've been destroyed, and keep their old leader. But he doesn't know anything about Hylians – it looks like only the few Gorons do – and he likely figures it's none of your business what you do in your own kingdom. And quite frankly, we're better off with him in the dark."

Link pondered this. The King certainly treated the Hylians, especially himself, with a great deal of respect…whereas Ganondorf he treated like the dirt beneath his feet. Something seemed off, though.

"Well, in any case," Link said slowly, "Why have you been gone so long? Were you hiding from the King?"

That remark wiped the genial expression off Ganondorf's face; Zelda shut her eyes for a moment in exasperation. "I was not _hiding_," Ganondorf replied with heavy emphasis on the last word. "We were told we could go where we wished, and I didn't want anything more to do with that infernal tour guide. I wanted to see a little more of the country I worked so hard to find."

Zelda couldn't argue with this, yet she felt there had to be more to the story. "Did you see anything of interest?"

"Mmm hmm." He finished his dinner and put the cover back over the plate, not inclined to say any more about it. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go for a walk in the courtyard."

Both tagged along behind. "What's wrong with you?" he demanded as the followed him. "You've spent entire lifetimes going after me…go find something else to do for once."

He turned a sharp corner, and just as he disappeared, they heard the sharp bark of an angry Gerudo man. They rounded the corner to see Ganondorf with his head bowed in front of Ridiyah, the Reylisian King snarling at him as if he were a clumsy servant. But when his eye fell upon Link, his demeanor changed completely. With a smile, he nodded to him and Zelda, and wished them a pleasant evening as he left.

"See? What did I tell you?" Ganondorf said as if nothing had happened.

The two looked at each other, each thinking the same thing. _Why is he not getting angry over this? He's got a much shorter temper with us, and we're trying to help him!_

-&-

In the courtyard, Ganondorf tried very hard to ignore the other two sitting behind him, waiting for a chance to interrogate him further. He had been bursting to tell someone about his discovery, and yet, when he met up with them again he felt sickened to be in their presence. _They wouldn't understand what it means. I could stand here all day and explain it to them, but they'd never get it. And I don't really want to…they're not my friends._

He sat looking at the stars, trying to block out the shuffling and occasional cough behind him. _I am not the only Dragmire. Maybe there are more? Why are they forced to keep hidden? Does it have anything to do with why they were forced from Reylisia in the first place? It's such a strange place…nothing like I imagined. Why do they keep magic artifacts if no one practices sorcery? Who maintains them?_

His mind buzzed with questions, all of them unanswerable. He caught himself turning ever so slightly, instinctually reaching out to the other two for their opinion, then cursed himself. _This isn't any of their business._

He felt his skin crawl as he heard Zelda stand and slowly walk toward him. The eye of Wisdom, he knew, could eventually see through all the barriers he had erected around himself. As he felt her hand on his shoulder, he stiffened, instinctually steeling himself for her prying, needling attempts to uncover the dark parts of his mind.

"Ganondorf," she said softly, "You don't need to tell us anything now. But when you do, please remember we came here to help you."

His mind pulled slightly in her direction, and he yanked it back. "Why do you want to help me?" he asked in a stiff, strangled voice.

She paused for a moment, as if unsure how to phrase the answer. "We are bonded, by the will of the Hylian Goddesses. You and Link and I."

This statement filled him with so much rage it surprised even him. He stood, and when he spoke his voice grew louder with every word. "I don't want your help. I don't want your bond, I don't want your Goddesses, and I _don't want your blasted Triforce!_"

He paused ever so briefly, his own astonishment at this pronouncement mirrored on the others' faces. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I want my own people. I…want to stay here, even if I'm doomed to a pathetic existence." Waves of hatred toward the two in front of him rushed over him, fueling his rant, even though deep down he realized it was not entirely true. "I want to live _free_, and _die_ free. I may not be bound to the Endless Cycle as I was before I awakened, but I'm still bound to _you_. And I. Don't. Like. _You._"

The shock in their eyes puzzled him. Had they forgotten he was their enemy? "What's the matter? Din will pick someone else to bear her burden if I don't return. Go home! Maybe she'll pick someone better for you this time."

"But…" Zelda began.

"But _what?_ What possible objection could you have? Ehhhh?" His last word ended in a snarl. "Speak!"

"But we…know you." Link looked embarrassed to have made such a weak statement.

Ganondorf snorted. "Well, you'll get to know somebody else, eventually. Go home! I'm staying here. Good riddance!" He swept past them, marching out of the courtyard.

"Should we follow him?" Link asked.

"No," Zelda said, loud enough for Ganondorf to hear. Then she put her hand on Link's wrist and whispered, "We'll follow. We've got to get to the bottom of this."

-&-

Ganondorf hurried through the streets of the capital city, trying to shake his head out of the uncertainty and puzzlement that came rolling over him after he finished venting his rage. Something in the back of his mind shrieked angrily at him for attempting to sever his bond with the other Chosen Ones. He forced that dissenting voice back into silence as he concentrated on his destination.

He scanned the streets for the woman without a headpiece, Nabooru's reincarnation.

She was his only link to his true people, the Gerudo he grew up with. All through the night the voice of his Elder Sister had called to him, driving him slowly insane. He scoured the streets looking for her, the last remaining link to his past. His heart raced with both anticipation and desperation, as he made several false starts on the trail.

Pausing at the old well where he had met the little girl, he scanned the rooftops, wondering if he had dreamed it all. The body of the Clockwork Hound was long gone, as if it had never existed at all. He saw nary a screw or scrap or metal to prove its existence.

He walked slowly down a side street. Surely she must have some kind of hidden exit, some secret passage, which had allowed her to leave him behind. He knew the spell she had used, but had been too shocked to counter it. He could not have been out of his senses for more than a minute.

Suddenly he stopped. On the wall someone had scrawled graffiti with a piece of charred wood. Most of it was rude words and crude sentiments, but in one small corner he noticed a tiny glyph. It looked like the sign for "home" in the Gerudo language. He pressed his hand to it and could sense a spell beneath it.

His heart racing, he pressed his will upon the glyph, and it lit up with a faint red light. In the next moment a section of the wall vanished, revealing a set of crude stairs leading down into a dark passageway.

He did not hesitate, but ran forward, down the rabbit hole.

**Author's Note: Okay, I know there's more than six of you reading this. If you have anything you're curious about in regards to Reylisia, the Hylian Gerudo, or Ganondorf's childhood, let me know and I'll be sure to include it. And please leave a review…I know you must like it if you keep reading it, but I want to know specifically what it is you like – the new world of Reylisia, the dynamic between the Three, the Gerudo culture, etc.**


	9. Past, Present, Future

"Where are you going, Ganondorf

"Where are you going, Ganondorf?"

The young King, barely in his teens, glanced around with a hint of irritation as he recognized the voice of the woman behind him. "I already told you. I am going to the outer Hylian border."

Nabooru scowled at him. "And I already told you, the Hylians are much tougher than you think they are. Five is too small for a raiding party."

"Not in the outer provinces." Ganondorf shouldered his light pack. "Besides, who am I going to spare for a raiding party with the pox running through nearly the entire compound? We need food, nourishing food, and water." His eyes flashed. "Your prayers to Myrissa and your medicines are not enough."

Her hands tightened into fists, and she would have struck him if she could. "Are you blaming me for this crisis?"

He shook his head, no longer angry. "No. But I have to do something more, or we're going to die out."

"I don't think taking our remaining healthy warriors on a fool's mission will solve that problem."

Ganondorf pushed past her toward the door. "Well, sitting here and waiting for the pox to kill off the rest of us won't help either."

The young king and his four companions rode through the mesa until they reached the outskirts of the forest, then led their horses by their halters for a mile or so. They scoured the rarely traveled pathways, looking for signs of human habitation.

"This way." Miyu, the best tracker in the group, pointed out fresh goat tracks. They tied their horses to trees and crept along the path, silently cursing every snapped twig.

They had set out during late evening, and now the trees blotted out the light from the stars. Ganondorf hated the forest, its darkness, hidden pitfalls, and clouds of bugs, not to mention the occasional wolf or wildcat that could hide in the tangled brush and attack a man. But he did not have enough raiders to attack a merchant convoy, and the forest at least offered more cover for an ambush than the towns. He had been to the castle town once years ago and that was enough, in the Gerudo council's feeble attempt to forge a peace treaty with the Hylian King. If looks could kill, he would have been a dead man several times over.

A flickering orange light caught his eye, and he led his little group toward it. They parted the tree branches and saw a goat herder's hut, a small boy closing the paddock gate for the night. Ganondorf's mouth watered and he heard the women beside him stifle eager cries. Goat stew and milk would do wonders for healing the pox, and there were enough animals to feed the entire complex for a month; though of course they had no way of getting all the animals back home.

They waited until the lantern light inside the hut went out, then carefully crept to the paddock door. "I heard it squeak earlier," Amaya whispered in Ganondorf's ear. "Should we lift them out one by one?" He nodded.

Amaya climbed over the fence and lifted a goat over the side into Ganondorf's waiting hands. He put it carefully down on the ground and Miyu wrapped a rope around its neck. One or two bleated, setting their hair standing on end, but the woman serving as look-out saw no light in the herder's hut.

They lifted out five goats, hoping for ten. As Amaya bent down to pick up another, Ganondorf noticed a barely perceptible shadow move behind her in the darkness. As he opened his mouth to speak, she straightened and the whistle of an arrow cut through the darkness. Before she could react, an arrow burst out from Amaya's throat and she fell to the ground, dead.

"I thought I heard desert rats!" The goatkeeper, an enormous bearded Hylian man, let loose a volley of arrows from the other side of the paddock. "Get away from my goats, you filthy half-humans!"

"Take what we have and run!" Ganondorf ordered the other women as he readied his scimitar. _He_ was not about to turn tail and run, not after what this man did to Amaya.

The Hylian drew a sword, the same kind the knights in the castle used. Jumping over the fence, he brought it down hard, but Ganondorf blocked it. The man's eyes lit up. "Oh, you're the _boy_ Gerudo, eh?" He made several more passes with his sword, rushing every time. Ganondorf dodged him and ran back and forth, unwilling to leave Amaya's body with this man.

"I am not a 'boy'," Ganondorf snarled at him in heavily accented Hylian. "I am every bit a man as you are!"

The goatkeeper met this pronouncement with derisive laughter. "Oh well, boy-king of the desert rats! Shall I offer you a tribute of dung beetles? Shall I kneel before the Chosen One of the Queen of Snakes? Hah! My son is more a man than you are!"

Ganondorf felt an explosion of pain in the back of his head, and turned to see the goatherder's son standing with an upraised slingshot, a wide grin on this face.

The goatkeeper took advantage of Ganondorf's momentary distraction and made a swipe across his body. Ganondorf gasped in pain as a wide gash opened in his chest. Still he blocked the next blow, gritting his teeth, and edged closer to Amaya.

"Oh, no you don't." The man caught him on the side of the head with the hilt of his sword. "You took something from me, so I'm going to take something from you. Though one desert rat certainly doesn't add up to five goats."

Incensed, Ganondorf snarled and hurled himself at the man's face. The goatkeeper smashed him down with a fist. Rolling out of the way of another blow, Ganondorf realized with horror that his own body had weakened from prolonged lack of decent food. The blood running down his chest from the gash quickly drained what energy he did have.

He ran around the man and made another attempt to get at Amaya, only to be nearly knocked unconscious by a rock to the nose. He stood unsteadily, unwilling to leave but knowing he would not survive if he stayed.

The goatkeeper sneered at him. "Idiot. When are you going to realize that you don't belong here, in the land of the chosen people of the Goddesses, who made us in their own image? The Golden Power will one day erase you as it has every threat to us."

Ganondorf wiped the blood from his face. "What golden power?"

Smiling slightly, the man replied, "Perhaps I've said too much…but it doesn't matter, because you're about to die." He leaped forward, bringing his sword down hard.

Ganondorf scrambled out of the way and ran into the woods, his face burning as he heard mocking laughter behind him, knowing all too well what would happen to Amaya.

-&-

"Where are you going, Ganondorf?"

Now nearly thirty and as strong as the Gerudo monarchs of old, he scowled at Nabooru with undisguised anger. "Why do you question me? You know where I am going."

"You and your fools' errands." Her expression was, if anything, even uglier. "You don't even know how this 'Triforce' thing works. It could blow up in your face."

"I know enough to prevent _that_ from happening," he spat. "I've spent ten years groveling at that idiot King's feet to get the information I need. This will be the last mission to Hyrule Castle."

Nabooru sighed, wear and age showing plainly on her face. "I can't stop you. I just wish you realized that going after Hylian magic is a bad idea." She looked up at him again, pain and sadness in her eyes. "You never listened when I tried to teach you the traditions of our people. Don't you care about them at all?"

He took a breath to shout at her, then changed his mind. "I care for nothing more than my people," he told her with forced calmness. "We just have different ways of showing it."

"I suppose there's nothing I can say to dissuade you."

"No."

She shut her eyes in resignation. "Then go. Just remember…the fate of our people rests on your shoulders."

He straightened in the saddle. "That is the one thing I cannot forget."

-&-

_Where are you going, Ganondorf?_

_I am going home._

He raced through the crude, narrow pathway, drawn by an invisible force. Small blue lights, some kind of luminescent plant, cast an eerie shaky shadow on all sides of him as he ran. Sloping slightly downward, he tunnel seemed to go on for ever, then came to an abrupt end. In consternation Ganondorf stepped through the roughly hewn entryway into a colossal natural cave, shaded in blue by the same strange plant, crystals sparkling from enormous stalactites, some of which reached all the way to the ground.

The cave held many passages that doubtless led nowhere, but Ganondorf could see a well-worn path leading down to the right. Echoes of old tales reverberated in his mind of a sparkling underground shrine, which his people had used as both a peaceful sanctuary and a hiding-place in times of war.

_If this is the same one as in the tales, there should be a statue of Myrissa here, more beautiful even than the one in the city…_

He stopped short and drew in his breath so hard he choked. There, framed on either side by man-sized bunches of the glowing plant, the legendary statue smiled genially down at him. She had been carved out of a mammoth stalagmite, the multicolored mineral swirls artfully polished to suggest scaly skin on the lower end. Ganondorf fell to his knees.

_Goddess, if you indeed have a task for me, please allow me to find the woman without a headpiece, my only link to my people._

He remained on the ground for a few moments, then rose and walked cautiously toward the ornately carved entryway behind her. He could tell from looking around him that he had come from some auxiliary entrance created some years after the statue was built, and he now approached the main entrance to the shrine. His pulse raced and he wrapped an invisibility spell around himself as he heard not one voice, not a few, but an entire cacophony of humanity.

-&-

Darba waddled happily toward the palace gates, nervously fingering the bag that held his best metalwork samples. An audience with the King! The possibility of making headpieces for royalty! He could barely contain his excitement.

To his great surprise, just as he reached the top of the stairs, the two Hylians he had met some days earlier flew out of the main doors. They nearly knocked over a brightly-dressed woman who attempted to stop them and raced down the stairway, not even giving him a second look. Darba offered a hand to steady the woman still teetering on the edge of the stairs. She thanked him, but he merely nodded; he recognized the garb of the so-called "tour guides", whose mission it was to keep outsiders from exploring the town. Darba had no need for its secrets, and did not know what any of them were, only that they were there.

Darba prostrated himself before King Ridiyah's throne, a little fearful, for he had heard stories of what the monarch did to those he did not like. The King, however, seemed eager and even a little over-friendly. He insisted he lead Darba to a private chamber, and invited the Goron to show him his wares. The King gushed over the samples provided, and Darba, his curiosity piqued, asked, "Your Highness, might I ask who informed you of my art?"

"Oh, of course." The King waved his hand as if it were nothing. "You met two Hylians and a foreign Gerudo a few days ago, yes? They told me they rested at your place before coming to the palace. They had many wonderful things to say about your work."

Darba blushed a little. "I'm surprised they noticed, they seemed a little preoccupied. Can't blame them, though, after they told me they'd crossed the Great Wasteland! Have you ever heard of a Hylian doing such a thing?"

"Never. But then, even I had never seen a Hylian before." The King leaned in a little closer. "I didn't know much about them, so they were a bit hard to accommodate. The woman and the foreign Gerudo spoke our language, though. Tell me, Darba, do you know anything about the Hylians that can help me better accommodate my guests?"

"Well, I'm not sure…all I know is that my grandfather came here when they were having some war or other…some golden treasure of theirs…"

"Must have been some war, to uproot a Goron."

"Oh yes…well, from what I was told, this treasure of theirs was actually the power of their land, bestowed upon them by the Goddesses themselves. They didn't have many problems with people trying to take it elsewhere…it doesn't work outside Hyrule, I was told. But I understand the leader of some Gerudo attempted to take it once, and rule with his people over the Hylians."

"It must be some treasure, to control an entire country. And nobody attempted to take control of it before this?"

Darba scratched his head. "It had some sort of fail-safe trigger, it would split into pieces if the wrong person took it. And then the others would have to fight for it. Not a very efficient system…"

Ridiyah nodded, then spoke more to himself than Darba, "Yes, especially if the other pieces all had equal power!"

"Oh, they don't," Darba interjected. "Well, they are equal I guess, but each has a different kind of power. One grants courage and stamina, one grants wisdom and insight, and one grants strength and immortality."

Darba noticed a flash in the King's eyes, the kind that jewel traders always looked for in their clients, which would give away even the most impassive face upon sighting a stone they deeply desired. "Immortality! I'd pick that one, if I could. Seems it has a great advantage over the others."

"I suppose. I heard that's the piece the Gerudo obtained when he tried to steal the whole thing…and yet the other two Bearers defeated him."

"Even though he was immortal?"

"I didn't say killed. They sealed his spirit away, or something. Gorons don't know much about magic, as a rule. He kept coming back, to haunt their descendants."

"Perhaps you're right, not very efficient. Well, enough of that. Let's talk business, shall we?"

-&-

King Ridiyah laughed to himself as the gullible Goron walked home, never realizing that the information he had given the King was a thousand times more valuable than the small fortune he had paid for Darba's services as a metalworker. He stood and walked to a small alcove where a middle-aged woman stood hidden. "Adiyah…what do you think?"

She frowned, a small crease forming over the bridge of her nose. "Well, the relic is useless to us if it can't be taken from its home country. But we could learn a great deal from studying it and its concept, perhaps…"

"And the prisoners?" he asked eagerly.

"I'm sure they could put that information to use, if persuaded enough. They are very intelligent, just stubborn."

Ridiyah's face split into a grin. "Once we find the foreign Gerudo…for it must be the same person Darba mentioned…we'll send his friends home. We mustn't risk a confrontation with them, especially the male. Go send the Hounds after him….we can take his scent off the broken one."

He watched as she bowed and left. _At last, I will finally get what I've worked for all these years…_

_A place among the gods!_


	10. The Hidden Nation

As he passed through the ornate entryway, Ganondorf felt an intense wave of magical energy rush over him

As he passed through the ornate entryway, Ganondorf felt an intense wave of magical energy rush over him. He did not recognize it, but could sense it to be very ancient in nature. He stood stiff for a moment, sensing he had tripped some kind of alarm; but nothing happened. Examining the entryway, he realized that magic far older and more complex than any he had ever known – except perhaps the Triforce itself – had been placed there to warn of any intruders not of the Dragmire clan. In a sudden flash of comprehension, he raced up the stairway toward the voices.

He burst into a shabby-looking stone hallway, the frescoed remains of its tattered finery cemented in among blank stones. Running further, he passed through another entryway into a high-ceilinged room, decorated with a bare few implements of the Gerudo shamans, the sweet smell of cactus-flower incense filling the air. He stood nailed to the floor upon catching sight of a priestess in full regalia. It was not the woman without a headpiece.

On impulse, he raced out of the temple, nearly knocking over two apprentice priestesses carrying prayer cushions. He burst into the outside moonlight, into a bustling market brimming with nothing but Dragmire Gerudo, their characteristic colored fabric clearly visible even in the half-light.

Overwhelmed, he sat down for a good ten minutes and just laughed, softly, so that his lost paradise would not hear him. He had just enough sense left to realize that they might not welcome the man who had driven them into this exile's setting.

Finally reclaiming his mind, he decided to take a good look round. Doubtless the woman without a headpiece was even now reporting to some superior, telling her that the demon of the past had come back to haunt them. He needed something to convince his peoples' leaders otherwise.

The market, though full of both merchants and customers, offered little for sale. Even skilled Gerudo thieves likely had trouble procuring what they needed when the High King condemned and denounced their existence. _But why? Why so much antagonism toward the Dragmire and not others? Does it have something to do with why they came to Hyrule in the first place?_

_Perhaps if I can answer this riddle, and solve it for them, they will welcome me back._

Ganondorf considered his options. He could not ask questions directly; even if he made himself appear as a female, his inevitably stupid-sounding questions would likely give him away. _And that's another thing_, he thought to himself, perturbed. _This spell isn't all that complicated; the priestess at least should have been able to sense it. Have even the Dragmire forgotten how to use sorcery?_

The Hylian Gerudo preferred to pass on their history via oral tradition, but Ganondorf had noticed a great deal of written records in the Reylisian palace; perhaps this group of Dragmire also did. If he could find the leaders' inner sanctum, he would have access to all the information he needed, and more.

He wormed his way toward the center of the town, trying not to bump into anyone. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, not least the fact that there was a good chance the clan had no living male, and he could therefore start over completely. _Nabooru was wrong…I can find a new clan…I can repair the damage of my past lives…_

He found the leaders' sanctum well guarded, but once again, nobody took any notice of him aside from the sound of his sandaled feet on the floor. He got a few suspicious looks, but the noise was too soft to merit investigation. He seriously began to worry about his clan's ability to defend itself. A good lock on the front door was not enough. What if someone managed to break the enchantment on the underground entryway?

The horizon around him explained why nobody had attempted to attack from the outside. The town lay in a valley surrounded by steep cliffs. Save for sprouting wings, nobody would be able to access this place from anywhere other than the underground tunnel.

Ganondorf gingerly leaned into the entryway of one of the rooms, spying neatly shelved manuscripts, he hurried inside. Grabbing the first scroll he saw, his eyes raked across the paper, scrutinizing the spiky characters that looked vastly different from the script he learned as a child. Still, he could read it, and devoured every word.

_"…fourteen have been taken to date. Nothing is known yet in regards to our sisters' fate, for no information comes out of the palace. The guards are cracking down harder on our supporters in the town. The soldiers only take sorcerers, so we can only assume that the High King is attempting to break the Dragmire's hold on the ancient arts…"_

He heard voices in the corridor and looked up, startled. "Send Ama back to the eastern base. I'll inform our leader of the situation." Ganondorf stiffened as the woman without a headpiece walked swiftly by, intent on her destination. He crept out of the room and silently followed.

Not that he had any real need. She stomped through the halls, clearly agitated, and burst through double doors into a sparsely-decorated room empty for one other person, a thin wiry man. Ganondorf's heart sank to his feet.

Before he could recover from this disappointment, the Dragmire King blanched and bolted up from his throne. "Great Goddess!"

The woman stared, then whirled round. Her eyes widened in surprise and anger, and she drew her scimitar with a flash. "You! What are you doing here!"

-&-

Link scowled at the footprints on the dusty ground. They clearly ended here, facing a stone wall. He could find no more nearby or on the other side. He pressed his hands against the wall, but as far as he could tell, there was nothing out of the ordinary about it.

"Find anything?" Zelda asked.

"Not yet." He scrutinized the flaking graffiti. "There's got to be something…a hidden door, a switch, a few words of magic, _something_…he couldn't have disappeared into thin air."

"Suppose he was captured, by that Hound thing?"

Link shook his head. "The prints keep the same pace all the way here. I don't think he was being chased, and I don't think he randomly decided to teleport himself somewhere else. There's something about this particular spot that we need to figure out in order to find him."

Zelda slowly traced the blurry words on the wall, too hastily written for her to read easily. "That's odd," she said at length."

"What is?" Link asked, bent over a patch of spiky weeds.

"All these say things like "Freedom for the Exiles" and "Deny Him His Mad Dream", but this one simply says "Home".

On a sudden inspiration, Link touched the glyph she pointed out. "How do you say it in Gerudo?"

"_Meso_."

As soon as he repeated it, the glyph glowed blue, and a downward stairway appeared. The pair stared at it and then each other, then ran down the stairs without a word. They did not speak as they raced through the underground corridor, straining their ears for their skittish, elusive colleague.

They slowed slightly as they entered the huge cavern. Zelda cast glances across the many entrances to the honeycombed cave. "Which way do you suppose he went? There's nothing but stone here, no way to see where he went."

Link pointed to a polished section of floor. "There's only one way to go, it seems, and it's well used. I don't think Ganondorf knows enough about this place to go wandering off, so it's probably safe to bet that he followed this trail as well."

As they followed the path, Link kept himself tensed for battle, but they hadn't encountered any resistance of any kind, either in the form of monsters or Gerudo. Certainly, with all his experience in spell-bound dungeons, he had an advantage in finding hidden doors. Yet he doubted the special glyph was the only barrier to whatever the secret passage hid from them.

Zelda nearly slammed into him from behind as he skidded to an abrupt halt. "Great Goddesses!" he exclaimed, pointing. "Look at that!"

Zelda drew in her breath. Before her stood an enormous statue of Myrissa, carved out of the native rock, so detailed and striking that its Hylian counterpart looked like it had been shaped by a child's hand. Glancing back, she noted, "It seems that this secret passage is a relatively recent addition. That entryway over there is probably the original entrance." But as Link stepped toward it, she grasped his arm and held him back.

"There's very strong magic surrounding that entryway. Can't you feel it?" She walked cautiously past him, up to the border, but stopped just short of it. "It's a security spell. Likely it will sound a warning if we pass through."

Link frowned. "Is there any way to turn it off?"

She examined the runes carved along the side, a worried furrow crossing her brow. "I'm not sure…this is very, very ancient magic, and would require an artifact equal to a piece of our Triforce to nullify it."

"But Ganondorf must have come through here. Maybe he tripped the alarm? I'm sure if somebody attacked him, he'd be more than able to defend himself…"

"Well, it's certainly an alarm spell…I don't think it's meant to injure us in any way…"

Link shifted from uncertain to determined. "There's no other path he would have taken. Maybe he's already keeping whatever security is here busy. We have to follow him."

Zelda gave him a strange look. "You've become oddly protective of your adversary."

He rolled his eyes. "Sorry, just slipping into hero mode. We lost something and now we have to get it back."

With an amused smile, she nodded. "All right, as long as you understand the risks. We really don't know what activating this spell will bring."

Link drew his sword, a rather pitiful weapon he had managed to procure in the market. He did not want to face this new danger unarmed. Zelda had a bow and a quiver of arrows. "It's the only way to find out what's going on."

She nodded. "All right…"

As they both passed through the doorway, the runes lit up all around it in blazing red script, and an earsplitting gong shook the very roots of the cavern.

-&-

"Hold!" The Dragmire King held up his hand, barking his order. The woman lowered her sword and Ganondorf let the ball of energy he had summoned fade away.

Silently the clan's king walked up to Ganondorf, looking him over and gazing into his face. Ganondorf felt an aura strangely similar to Zelda's in the thin, small man; benign and open, yet with a strong undercurrent and deeper wisdom than his clear eyes would betray upon a first meeting. His gaze matched Ganondorf's, looking into his eyes as if searching his soul. "Are you truly the Mad King of ancient times?"

Unsure how to answer this, Ganondorf offered, "I am the last ruler of the Gerudo in Hyrule, if that's what you mean."

The woman pointed an accusing finger. "Demon, how have you managed to live all this time? By stealing foul Hylian magics?"

Feeling slightly embarrassed, he admitted, "I…entered into a pact with the other Keepers of the Triforce. It allows me, and the other two, to be reborn with memories of our past lives…"

"Unnatural!" the woman snarled in disgust.

The king's searching gaze did not leave Ganondorf's face. "You entered in a pact with your enemies? So you are not of the same mind as the Mad King of old?"

Ganondorf shook his head. The woman snorted in disbelief.

"Then…" the King gave him a look as if to suggest he was about to test him. "What should you be doing right now?"

Ganondorf looked blank for a moment, then fell to his knees. "Forgive me, My Lord, I forgot myself…"

The King extended his hand. Ganondorf clasped it and rose. "I am Ogadai the Third," said the King. "This is my second-in-command, Asai. Though we do not fondly remember your dealings with the Hylians, your strength and tenacity are legendary. Myrissa herself must have sent you to assist us in our war against Ridiyah."

Ganondorf saw Asai roll her eyes behind her King's back, but she didn't dare contradict him. "What's going on?" Ganondorf demanded. "Why are the Dragmire forced to hide in exile? Ridiyah pretended they had all died out, and I don't think anyone else knows you exist."

King Ogadai opened his mouth to answer, and an earsplitting gong sounded throughout the building, hitting all three of them like a shockwave. "Someone's entered through the secret chamber!" Asai snapped.

Ogadai pressed his hands together as if in prayer, and Ganondorf realized he was using sorcery to determine the nature of the intruder. _That would explain why these two could see me. Are they the only ones left that know magic?_

"I don't recognize the race of the intruders," the King said slowly. "They are small-framed, pale people, one male and one female, with strange pointed ears. They almost look like they could be…"

_Oh no_, Ganondorf thought to himself. "…Hylians?"

-&-

The pair had made an unspoken promise not to return without the Third. They could not run back, so they ran forward. They burst into a huge room where three women, one a high priestess, shrieked in Gerudo and snatched up blunt objects among the holy items to attack. Banking hard to the left, Link and Zelda emerged into the marketplace, stepping back as a forest of scimitars greeted them. As they stood back to back, Zelda shouted in Gerudo, "We're not here to cause any trouble. We're looking for our companion, a member of your Dragmire clan."

It wasn't until she said this that Link noticed all of them were dressed like the Hylian Gerudo. Obviously Ganondorf had to be around here somewhere.

The women met Zelda's announcement with jeers and catcalls. As they strode purposefully forward, Zelda felt a shift in the air as someone with significant magic power appeared off to the far left. The crowd of women quickly parted, and three people walked up to the two Hylians. One was a thin man dressed in regal armor; another was a woman with no headpiece. Ganondorf followed them.

Link pointed accusingly. "Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you!"

Ganondorf gave him a dirty look and turned to the thin man. "I apologize…these are my companions, the other two who entered into the pact I spoke of."

The man nodded and turned to the pair. "I am King Ogadai the Third," he announced. Both Hylians bowed. He looked them over carefully. "You certainly look like you could be…are you the ancient adversaries of the Mad King?"

Zelda answered, "I am Princess Zelda and this is Link, the Hylian Hero. We journeyed here with Ganondorf because he expressed a desire to find his people."

Ogadai nodded. "I see…the three Bearers of the ancient Hylian magic. Princess of Hyrule, I would ask your assistance."

-&-

A great bonfire burned cheerily in the early morning hours, King Ogadai's people offering the visitors a smorgasbord of food as fire-dancers performed a traditional visitors' welcome. Link watched as the dancers twirled batons with tongues of flame at the end, tossing them to each other without missing a beat, and then finally shooting flames from their mouths with the help of a sip of alcohol.

Link watched, fascinated, though Ganondorf looked disinterested and slightly worried. King Ogadai spoke primarily to Zelda, though Ganondorf occasionally contributed to the conversation. Asai now wore a headpiece, and Link gathered that she served as some kind of spy. "It's been foretold that strangers from another land would deliver us from Ridiyah's oppressive reign," Ogadai said, "along with a warrior of old. Interestingly, this is the last thing I expected."

"So what exactly is going on?" Zelda asked. "Reylisia isn't anything like how Ganondorf described it."

"It's a long story," Ogadai sighed. "The truth is, the Dragmire saw their share of trying times even before they traveled to Hyrule…"


	11. Karakuri

"The First Generations of Dragmire lived in Reylisia for many years, no better or worse off than any of the other clans

"The First Generations of Dragmire lived in Reylisia for many years, no better or worse off than any of the other clans. Over the years, several of the clans specialized in certain trades or talents; for the Sauteri, it was strategy and combat. For the Omako, story-telling and entertainment. The Dragmire, of course, specialized in magic, particularly the dark arts.

"Gerudo politics are nervous at best, and each clan has at one point or another attempted to take control of the country. Technically, representatives from each clan are supposed to choose the High King. Coups, however, are common. At some point a Sauteri – that's King Ridiyah's clan – overthrew a Dragmire High King. In addition to fighting resistance by force, the Sauteri king planted seeds of suspicion in the peoples' minds, leading them to believe that the Dragmire held secret powers over death and disease, and would unleash these among all the Gerudo if they were not destroyed.

"After several fierce battles, the Dragmire fled in the only direction they were not pursued – the Great Wasteland. After losing most of those few who remained, they came across a series of small fiefdoms in a spacious, bountiful country. Their head, a woman named Sogolon, negotiated with the Four Races of Hyrule and settled her people on the edge of the Great Wasteland.

"For centuries, the Second Generations of Dragmire lived alongside the other races, albeit not always peacefully. They adapted to their new lifestyle and, though they chose guardians to keep the old ways, began to forget their history and their homeland. Unfortunately, as the Hylians gained wealth and power, they began to make demands on the others who inhabited 'their' land. They claimed their royal family's line was the guardian of a sacred treasure, the cornerstone of the entire country, and therefore had rights to all parts of it. The other indigenous races, none of them strong fighters, for the most part bent to their will.

"But the Gerudo refused, and with dissidents from the other races, mounted a rebellion. The Hylians called it the Great War, or the Fierce War…you probably know it better than I do."

Here Link interrupted King Ogadai, tugging at the translation device he had given him. "Yeah, we've got that pretty well covered. We heard they left because of a great famine."

Ogadai blinked, and turned to Ganondorf. "He 'heard'? Did you not know the nature of your own peoples' demise?"

Ganondorf flinched ever so slightly. "I was imprisoned in the underworld for several years, over which time they died out."

Asai leaned in closer. "Was this part of the pact you made with the Hylians?"

He shook his head. "That came later."

She opened her mouth to ask another question, but Zelda interrupted her. "It's a very complicated story. Maybe we can tell you more after we're finished with this one."

Asai sat back, and Ogadai continued. "After the battle for the Hylian Triforce, the Gerudo's meager resources had deteriorated to almost nothing. The Princess of that time – that's you – had offered aid, but just as the society began to rebuild itself, your son cut it off, after you died."

Zelda bowed her head. "Forgive me for the mistakes of my descendants. I did not live very long after that altercation with Ganondorf, and I could not pass on my wisdom to my son."

Ogadai inclined his head slightly in her direction, accepting her apology. "The Spirit Temple guardian's daughter, Namu, grasped the severity of the situation and told her people to choose – to stay in Hyrule and wait out the famine, or follow her on a desperate mission to return to the homeland. Some joined her, some stayed. Only a handful of those that followed her into the Great Wasteland survived the trip, but all of those who remained in Hyrule perished.

"Unfortunately, more trouble awaited these Dragmire, the Third Generations. By this time the Dragmire had become little more than tales of ill omen in Reylisian society, and were shunted to the outskirts of society. Even so, we are a strong people, and managed to create a small haven for ourselves in this country. We still had allies, and were among our own people, so we figured that we at least were luckier than our Hylian counterparts.

"Then Ridiyah took power. He felt that the Dragmire had gained too much acceptance among the other clans, and dug up the old tactics of his ancestor. In addition…he appears to have taken an interest in sorcery, legitimizing his claims to our meager magic by stating only a 'dependable' leader can control it."

Here Ogadai nodded to Asai, and she continued the tale, her face darkening with each statement. "So how does Ridiyah use our magic if he and his clan never learned it? He kidnaps our people and forces them to give up their knowledge. Yet sorcery is an inborn talent – a person without such talent can learn it, but never master it – so much of our arts can only be seen in artifacts like your translator device. And, of course…the Clockwork Hound." Scowling deeply, she ignored Ganondorf's attempts to catch her eye.

"The Hound was once a form of security," Ridiyah stated. "It would patrol the borders and keep out intruders. Nowadays, it is used to sniff out dissidents and crush anyone Ridiyah perceives as a threat. Those without magic talent are killed on the spot; those with magic skills are brought to the bowels of the palace, where they are tortured until they give up their information."

"Does Ridiyah know that this settlement exists?" Zelda asked.

"He knows it exists," Asai answered, "but he doesn't know where it is or how to get to it. That doesn't stop him from trying, however."

"He pretended the Dragmire don't exist." Ganondorf gave her a puzzled look. "Does the rest of Reylisia believe this? Or is it just something they tell outsiders whom they don't want prying into their secrets?"

Asai sat back and sighed. "Most Gerudo know there is a hidden clan living among them. We do have a few allies among the lower classes. However, they will never mention us, for doing so will bring the Hounds after them. We have been in hiding so long that many of the younger Gerudo believe we are a myth, a kind of bogeyman race that mothers use to frighten their children."

A spasm of rage crossed Ganondorf's face. "And what are you doing to correct this?"

An identical flash sparked in Asai's eyes. "Who are you to question us, Mad King?"

Before Ganondorf could answer, Ogadai stated, "Actually, I was hoping you could help us. I told you of the prophecy given to us by the High Priestess. Would you be willing to lend your aid to the cause?"

"I am," Ganondorf replied immediately.

"As am I," Zelda added.

Link nodded. "Me too!"

Asai slammed her fist on the table, startling the other four as well as a set of Gerudo who had been ignoring their conversation. Her head down, obviously struggling to restrain herself, Asai said to Ogadai, "Your Highness. I am sorry, but I must respectfully bring this to the attention of the Council."

Ogadai sat up straight. "Asai. I hardly think this merits bringing in…"

Sticking her finger in Ganondorf's face, she snapped, "_He_ is the reason we are here in the first place. Have you forgotten that this is the man who threw away his entire clan for a place among foreign gods? I will not participate in any plan that involves him, without the Council's blessing."

She stood up and stalked off into the night.

"What Council?" Ganondorf demanded of Ogadai. "I thought they were only needed if there was no male to lead."

Ogadai sighed. "I'm sorry, but your reign has left quite a mark on our people. One of the changes made after the exodus from Hyrule was the appointment of a full-time Council. Any member can call them into session to take a vote on any issue. They are rarely called to session – I've never had the Council question my judgment. Until now, that is."

"My own former adversaries will vouch for my character." Here Ganondorf gave both Link and Zelda a look that clearly said they better not say otherwise.

Neither would have contradicted him anyway. "A lot has changed since then," Zelda assured Ogadai. "In fact, when our country was threatened by an outside source, Ganondorf helped us secure it. That is why the Goddesses allowed him – and us – to remember ourselves in the Endless Cycle."

Ogadai shook his head. "It's not me, but the Council you have to convince. They will likely convene tomorrow afternoon."

"Then we'll speak before the Council," Link declared.

"You may do as you wish," Ogadai said with a sigh. "I don't think the words of a foreigner will help much." He stood. "In the meantime, though, you are our honored guests. The festivities will go on all night; you might as well have a bit of fun before we turn back to grave matters tomorrow." He bowed slightly, and followed Asai's path.

Link stared after him. "That was weird."

Zelda shook her head. "This place is very different from the Gerudo Desert back home. It doesn't surprise me that this Third Generation has adapted to its surroundings. What do you think, Ganondorf?"

They both turned to find his seat empty. Glancing around, they spotted him downing an enormous flask of the palm wine that flowed freely during the feast, surrounded by a group of the locals cheering him on.

Link made a face. "I'd expected him to be a little more serious about this. I know the King said 'have fun', but…"

A small line of worry formed over Zelda's brows. "I have a feeling there is more to it…let's go join him."

Link followed her, reluctantly, to the edge of the raucous crowd. Ganondorf and one of the women appeared to be having a kind of shouting match, but as the two Hylians drew closer, they could distinguish rhyming words amid the loud clapped beat.

_Take it closer, take it high_

_I know it's coming, time is nigh_

_Blood will flow, tears will fall,_

_Returning home? None at all_

_Take it on, take it hard_

_Pulling out the spearhead shard_

_Retribution, it comes near_

_I have no time for love or fear_

_Pray that I might see dawn again_

_Pulling deep from the strength within!_

Ganondorf's booming voice contrasted sharply with his opponent's high shriek as they traded verses, the whole group cheering as they both finished. "What's going on?" Zelda asked a woman sitting near the edge.

"You don't know?" She blinked, then smiled. "Hylians don't play this? It's a game, sort of. Two people make a song, out of their own heads. One person starts and the other has to match it with a rhyming verse."

Link's mouth dropped open. "You mean, they make it up as they go along?"

She nodded. "Takes a lot of talent, yes? Your friend is very good!"

"I imagine he would be," Link muttered under his breath. "He always had a thing for obnoxious speeches."

Another woman, who had obviously had one too many, wrapped her arms around Link's neck. "Ehhh, cousin, are all men this small in your country? Can he even wield a sword?"

The first woman laughed. "Don't you know, it's not the size that matters, but how he uses it?"

The crowd responded with a roar of laughter and Link flushed, sensing the double entendre.

"Honored Guest!" Another woman shoved something into Zelda's hands. "Here, a gift from the best perfume-maker of the Dragmire. One drop will send handsome men running to your door!"

"She doesn't need it," Ganondorf shouted over the din. "You can lock her up and she'll still have them breaking down the door!" More laughter and pounding of fists on tables. Seeing the pair's indignant faces, he thrust two flasks of palm wine at them. "Don't take it personally! They are just teasing you. They don't mean anything by it. Gerudo parties are always a little raucous."

He opened his mouth to say more, but was cut off by cheers as a woman from another table jumped on top and began an impromptu dance. "A little?" Link muttered.

Zelda raised the flask to her lips, so as not to seem rude. To her surprise, the wine had a sweet, pleasant taste, as well as fruity pulp. "There's more in this than just wine," she said more to herself than anyone.

A woman next to her nodded. "Gerudo don't make any food that doesn't have any nutrition in it."

As Link dubiously sampled his wine, Zelda watched Ganondorf. Despite all the liquor, his eyes looked clear, and she saw something in them that she had never seen before – pure joy. Did finding his lost people really affect him this deeply? She said nothing for several minutes as he and all the other Gerudo cheered on the dancing woman, who kept calling out to the only two men in the group. Ganondorf responded with teasing; Link looked uncomfortable.

"I haven't had this much fun since King Ogadai's _karakuri_!" one woman exclaimed, prompting Link to tap the translator in his ear.

"What's _karakuri_?" he asked.

She dissolved into a fit of giggles. Another woman answered Link's question. "It means 'Year of Plenty', roughly translated. When a Gerudo king finally reaches full maturity, all women of childbearing age are given extra food…so they can carry healthy children, you see. It kicks off with a party, with lots of food for everyone, food you don't see at any other time."

"Like candied cactus fruit!" The giggling woman exclaimed. "Peeled, covered in honey, and filled with cream!"

"And roast dragon-snake, the heart and stomach ground into sausage, everything covered in spices!" the other woman added.

"Of course, only the King gets the fried goat eggs."

"Goats don't lay eggs," Link pointed out.

This prompted the two women to fall over laughing. Evidently he'd stumbled into another innuendo.

Suddenly Ganondorf rose. "Will you excuse me?" he said, giving the women a gracious bow. "I haven't spoken to everyone yet."

"Oh, but this is the best table! Stay here!" the giggling woman exclaimed.

He bowed again with a smile. "I'll come back, don't worry."

Zelda tugged at Link's sleeve. "Something happened when they mentioned the party. Go talk to him, will you?"

Link gave her an incredulous look. "What makes you think he'll want to talk to me? Why don't you do it, Keeper of Wisdom?"

"Well, because I think it was talk of the _karakuri_ that prompted him to leave…and you're a man."

"I don't know anything about weird Gerudo bedroom customs!"

"Well, _I _ can't do it!"

Link huffed. "Fine. But if I come back here with a dislocated shoulder and a broken spine, I'm blaming you…"

-&-

The holy Triforce as a curse mark. That was a new one.

Ganondorf scowled at the bars of the Hylian dungeon cell holding him in. He had left Kando to find the ruler of this land, who supposedly could give him information about the mark on the back of his hand. Unfortunately, the kingdom was not as stable as people made it out to be, and the uncle of the child Princess – now a teenager – had somehow managed to convince his people that the holy mark brought ill tidings. Apparently, people kept trying to steal it for their own ends, as it granted unimaginable power.

He should have suspected something was up when he saw that the images of the relic had been chiseled out of the castle's decorations, leaving it looking like a smallpox survivor. Well, it made no difference. He had found his way out of dungeons before. The skinny Hylian guard eyed him warily, knowing that the prisoner could overpower him if given a chance.

He heard a muffled ruckus from the other side of the main door to the cell block; the door opened, and a guard walked in carrying a small boy. The boy could not have been more than ten years old, yet he struggled and shouted as if he were used to fighting his way out of these situations.

The guard threw the boy into the cell next to Ganondorf. Rising to his feet and pushing the blonde hair out of his eyes, the miniature fighter rattled the door a bit, then stuck his fingers in the lock, investigating its mechanism.

"What're you in for, kid?" Ganondorf asked. "You're no street rat; those are farmer's clothes you're wearing."

The boy turned to him with huge blue eyes that got even wider. "You've got a mark like mine!" He held up his hand to show an identical three-triangle seal.

Ganondorf frowned. What was this puny kid doing with the symbol of the Goddesses? He had to admit, though, the boy was stronger than he looked. "That's right. You don't know what it means?" The boy shook his head. "It's a magic symbol. The Princess around here has one, and could tell us more, but there's some kind of royal dispute going on and she's been locked up."

"Then we should find her!" the boy said eagerly.

Laughing, Ganondorf replied. "Oh, of course. I'm sure if we ask the guard nicely he'll let us pay her a visit."

Leaning in close, the boy whispered, "If you can keep the guard busy, I can pick the locks."

"Seriously?" Ganondorf's eyes widened. "What's your name, kid?"

"It's Link. What's yours?"

_Strange, it sounds familiar, though I know I've never seen this kid before._ "Well, Link, I'm Ganondorf of Kando."

-&-

"They're not promiscuous," the big man said as Link approached him, sitting on a rough bench just outside the circle of light cast by the party fires.

"Huh?"

"They don't really mean what they're saying, it's all talk. Well…not all of it, but you know what I mean. When your people are constantly living at the edge of survival, reproduction becomes a frequent topic."

Link sat on the other side of the bench. "I didn't think that. I'm just not used to people being so open."

Ganondorf sighed. "We always got a lot of trouble in Hyrule for that. Two very different races, with very different ideas…sometimes a simple misunderstanding is enough to start a war."

Sensing he was on the edge of something, Link stayed silent. Finally Ganondorf spoke again. "My _karakuri_…it was one of the things that sparked the Fierce War. We didn't have any candied fruit or roast dragon-snake. It took place at the end of a three-year drought. The elders delayed the _karakuri_ for two years, then decided that any more would be a bad omen. So we had to steal even more than usual, not just from merchants but regular people, the Zora and Gorons as well as the Hylians. People chose sides; on one, the King promised to stop the raids by forcing all the races to follow Hylian law. On the other were the people who wanted Hyrule to remain a collection of fiefdoms, who argued with us that the Hylians' possession of the best land had brought this upon them.

"You know how that ended. But what you may not know is what I had to put up with when I continually pledged my loyalty to the King. If I brought Nabooru with me, he would leer at her with such intense lust that I had to restrain her from attacking him herself.

Ganondorf gritted his teeth. "And then, when I visited, I began searching through histories and other documents, some of which no one was allowed to see. I found out about the Triforce, of course. But the things I learned made me determined to kill the King, even if obtaining the Triforce was impossible."

Link turned toward him upon hearing this last statement. Ganondorf stared straight ahead, his face twisted into an angry grimace. "I found out that the band of raiders who killed my mother and one of my aunts was really a group of mercenaries hired by the King. I found out that a sick animal that the King's men released at the edge of our Fortress, had introduced the outbreak of pox that afflicted us when I was a child."

His voice grew deeper, livid, his eyes taking on the same burning quality that seared through Link during every one of their confrontations. "I found pages and pages of speeches made by the King comparing us to cockroaches, saying we needed to be stomped out, stopped from breeding, before we overran the country and poisoned it. Such bitter hatred in his words! So I made a vow. Even if I could not obtain the Goddesses' power and reshape the world as I saw fit, I would make sure I ended his reign. His daughter was wise beyond her years; if I sacrificed myself, perhaps she would spare my people."

Link drew in his breath. "But…why didn't you tell Zelda from the beginning? Maybe if you had waited until she took the throne, none of this would have happened."

Ganondorf shook his head. "We didn't have enough time to wait until the crown passed to her. He was set on our destruction. Besides…" He paused, as if unsure whether or not to go on, and an involuntary tremor ran through him. "I _wanted_ to tell her. When we are waiting in Yomi, I _desperately_ want to throw in her face what an ugly, nauseating, idiotic, and _putrid_ waste of a human being her father was."

He took a deep breath. "But I _can't_ I just _can't_ tell her those things about the father she still mourns. I can't slice through her heart like that, not when we're sentient, not when we remember who we are. Because…you…and she…are the only-"

Abruptly he stopped, and stiffened. Standing, he spoke in his normal voice. "I don't want to be half-asleep when the Council convenes tomorrow. If you really want to help, you should get some rest too." He walked away.

Link sat stunned for several moments, then crept back to where Zelda sat. "Well? What did you find out?" she asked.

He looked off into the darkness of the night. "I'm not sure even where to begin."


	12. Heritage

"But I don't _want_ Ashira and Maparre on my team for adulthood training!"

"It can't be helped," Nabooru snapped at the young Prince. "You know how it works. A team must be balanced. Your abilities even out their shortcomings."

Ganondorf turned his back on her. "They're such failures that I'd be better off going on my own. They'll just drag me down. I'll be the first Prince in history to go through adulthood training twice!"

Quick as a flash, Nabooru grabbed his ear and yanked hard, ignoring his yelp of pain. "I _never_ want to hear this talk from you again, you understand? Prince or not, I'll whip you so hard you won't be able to sleep for a week." She spun him around, grabbing him by the shoulders, boring through him with her sharp amber gaze. "This isn't just about _you_. A Gerudo must learn to care for their team, and for the entire clan. _One_ Gerudo is _nothing_. No Gerudo can abandon their clan; _especially_ not a King."

Her eyes narrowed, and her next words would ring in his ears when she betrayed him years later. "When a Gerudo abandons his clan, his clan abandons him. You will never have another clan. Remember that."

-&-

Link and Zelda sat on hard marble benches, outside the main granite doors of an imposing-looking building called by some Gerudo word that meant integrity. Only one "foreigner" was allowed inside at a time, to be questioned by the Council members. The two Hylians feared Ganondorf's interrogation would take forever, but he emerged after only ten minutes.

"That was quick," Link remarked as he stood. "I take it they weren't too rough?"

Ganondorf waved his hand dismissively. "The Council does not allow us to speak about what was said behind those doors." He seemed even more brusque than usual, glancing around distractedly.

A guard stepped out behind him. "Link of Hyrule…the Council wishes to speak with you next."

He nodded, and waved to Zelda as he passed through the doors. "See you in a bit, okay?"

She nodded, then called out to Ganondorf as he stalked down the street. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere far." He offered no other explanation.

Zelda frowned, shifting slightly on the hard marble. _I guess I can't expect him to sit with me and chat…but I do wish I knew more about what's going on in his head…_

-&-

Ganondorf entered the shrine that held the passageway to Myrissa's statue, where he had first entered the secret nation. The priestess smiled graciously. "What can I do for you, Honored Guest?"

He felt strangely shy, like a pilgrim greeted by a priest of the highest order. "Could I perhaps stay here for a bit, and meditate with you?"

She inclined her head slightly, the huge weight of intricately interconnected, delicate metal links that made up her jewelry tinkling softly. "Of course."

One of the priestess' assistants walked in with a cushion for him to sit on, and once he was comfortable, the priestess offered him a pipe of cactus seed. The other assistant lit a bowl of spice grass, using a vulture's wing to spread its scent throughout the room.

Ganondorf inhaled deeply from the pipe, a feeling of calmness slowly saturating his body. The priestess and her assistants began their chant, a slow, breathy melody that mimicked the curling eddies of smoke from the spice grass bowl. Time seemed to stand still, as old memories long forgotten rushed back into his mind, and for a long while he felt he was sitting in the old Fortress, hearing the murmur of his sisters alongside the screaming wind from outside.

"Are you all right?"

He opened his eyes to see the priestess standing before him, concern in her face. He blinked, puzzled, and felt hot liquid slide down his face. Embarrassed, he covered his eyes. "I'm sorry…it has been a long time since I have been able to do this properly…"

"Tell me what troubles you."

"There is no point. I merely feel regret for irrevocable events, events which transpired due to my own foolishness."

She watched him closely, slowly nodding her head. "I see. We all know who you are, what you have done, and what effect that has had on our clan." Standing up straight, she crossed her arms. "You have learned much since you came here, but there is still more for you to learn. If you wish to fully redeem yourself for your crimes against your own people, you must first face the full effects of your tragic rule, as well as fully understand those whom you used for your own gains."

He said nothing, merely nodding.

She motioned for him to rise, then nodded toward the front door of the building. "Three blocks west and four blocks north of here, you will find a museum of sorts, odds and ends we managed to salvage of our history. Go there first. Then, two blocks west and one block south of there, you will find Utaya, the head trainer of our warriors."

He bowed slightly. "Thank you," he said, and left without another word between them.

He found the "museum" easily, a huge, rather nondescript building that loomed over the shops around it. As he entered, a dizzying array of color assaulted his eyes. Intricately woven tapestries hung throughout the halls, accompanied by numerous statues of both men and women, a painting or two, and a collection of ceremonial weapons.

Obvious scars marred the treasures. Burn holes pockmarked the tapestries, many of the statues sported missing heads or limbs, and a mural at the far end of the hall had a chunk missing. But these battle scars did not take away from the beauty and richness of the art. Ganondorf examined the tapestries, woven with finer thread than the Hylians used, its figures more realistic and in more natural poses. Real gold and silver thread shone from pivotal parts of the stories they told. The statues had been carved so convincingly, he half expected them to come to life and speak to him of the indignity of their broken arm or leg.

He took his time in the huge building, undisturbed by an other visitors or even a curator. He admired the fine craftsmanship of the scimitars and arrows, wondering when the downside of all this could possibly come.

Then he stepped in front of the mural at the far end of the wall.

It had been painted directly onto the wall, its much cruder portraits and clumsy brushstrokes indicating it had been made in a hurry by unskilled hands. Crowds of people fled from an angry red sun, the bone-picked corpses of animals, and demonic-looking Hylians. They collapsed in the hostile sands of the desert, and fled from the jaws of the Clockwork Hound, finally settling in a little corner.

On the opposite side, the entire fresco began with an enormous dark creature, overshadowing an unidentifiable burning building, trampling over hapless Gerudo in an attempt to reach a crudely-drawn three-triangle seal.

This motif showed up multiple times in the Hylians' visual tales. But it was very different seeing it through the eyes of his own people. He noticed, with detached melancholy, that they had not even given this creature the form of his clan's guardian's spirit, the wild boar. The vile creature – an interpretation of himself - had the tail and pincers of a scorpion, the most reviled creature in Gerudo mythology.

"Like staring into a mirror, I suppose?"

Ganondorf whirled round to see a middle-aged Gerudo woman staring at him with fierce intensity, yet no hostility evident in her stance. She smiled slightly when he did not answer. "You look very different from the way you did the last time Dragmire eyes fell upon you. I hope this is a permanent change."

He straightened. "It is," he said with a stiffness he couldn't even out. "I have no intention of harming my own people."

She sighed, her expression softening. "It happens to the best of us, Honored Guest. Who is to say many more would not come to the same fate?" She gestured to the ruined finery all around them. "Now another Gerudo makes war upon his own people, stealing magics that do not belong to him."

Ganondorf snorted. "Surely you're not comparing me to…"

"To King Ridiyah?" She lifted her gaze, examining him through watchful eyes. "Why not?"

"Well, first of all, I was trying to _help_ my people, in the beginning." Ganondorf folded his arms, unsure why he felt so defensive. "I was stealing from the Hylians, not from my own."

She nodded in agreement, though did not seem particularly interested in the explanation, something that made his blood boil. "This is true. But in the end, whether through good or ill intentions, the results are the same." When he opened his mouth to protest, she gestured toward the scorched tapestries. "In each of our ancient battles, the aggressor had a reason or motive, some good and some bad. We celebrated them, reviled them, and then once again accepted them into our society…as they hang here, both priceless treasures and instruments of horrible atrocities." She pointed to one of the jeweled scimitars. "That blade has a notorious history. A young Dragmire King nearly killed his entire family when he suspected one of its members was plotting against him. Yet now it has pride of place in our tattered collection. Why do you suppose that is?"

He stood still as the meaning of her words finally came to him. "Both sides of it – the beauty and the ugliness – are still part of the Gerudo."

She nodded. "As are you…if you can find your place. This sword is now in a very different place from where it originated. You may come to rest somewhere very different as well."

And with that, she nodded and walked back into the further corners of the museum.

-&-

Link squirmed in the hard stone chair inside the huge hall, the nine faces of the Dragmire Council frowning down at him. _How many interrogations am I going to go through in this quest? At least I'm not the only one being questioned this time…still, I wish they had put Zelda and me together, it would make things a lot easier…_

An elderly woman with very long, braided hair interrupted his thoughts. "Young Hylian, do you trust the Individual in Question?"

He scratched his head for the fifth time in as many minutes. "Well, er….not exactly, ma'am. You see…"

"If you don't trust him, why are you going to such lengths to help him?" Asai demanded from her seat at the end of the group.

"Well, he's one of the Chosen Three, see, and…"

"Has he ever done anything like this for you?"

"Well, no…"

"You seem a little too intelligent just to be doing this out of kindness and naïveté," a middle-aged woman with a long scar down the side of her face commented.

"I know it's a risk doing anything with him, but both Zelda and I thought that if he'd been separated from his people for so long…."

"Do you have some kind of bond to this man?" the elderly woman asked.

He scratched his head again. "Well, we've been through a lot together…"

"But you dislike him immensely," Asai insisted.

"Look," Link stuttered, getting flustered, "we're part of a…a set, okay? We don't really want to be together…well, I wouldn't mind just being with Zelda…but that's the way things turned out. And we can't just chuck him out, because he's one of us…even though he's usually fighting us and he's not Hylian. I know it sounds stupid, but there you are." He folded his arms and sat back in his chair.

To his surprise, the Council seemed satisfied with this answer. "Very well," said the elderly woman. "Show the next foreigner in."

-&-

"Are you Utaya?"

A slender woman with a panther-like build nodded her head. "I am, Honored Guest. What can I do for you?"

Ganondorf glanced around the huge, crumbling arena, scattered pairs of warriors sparring around them. "If you don't mind, I would like to have a little weapons practice…I haven't fought properly for a long time."

"You mean like a Gerudo?" With a knowing smile, she handed him a pitted scimitar. "Do you remember your stances? Show me the Warrior's Walk."

He scowled, embarrassed to hear her request such simple moves. To his surprise, she rapped his wrist with the flat of her scimitar after he had gone barely five paces. "You are holding it like a Hylian! Where are your pointy ears?"

His blood boiled at this insult; it had been ages since anyone besides Link and Zelda had spoken to him in this way, let alone another Gerudo. But he held his temper; she was trying to teach him, after all.

"Good, good!" Utaya exclaimed as he loosened up a little and his movements became more fluid. "Now show me the Scorpion's Dance."

He swept his arms in wide arcs, his feet keeping in rhythm with a mental beat that had been ingrained in every one of this people since babyhood. He turned and sliced the scimitar through the air, feeling a mild thrill as it cut across his sight line with seamless ease.

"Twisting Winds!" Utaya cried.

Ganondorf leaped forward, the slice of the scimitar and scratch of feet in the dust creating whirling eddies around him. His heart swelled, remembering learning these moves with friends long dead.

Utaya gave him a wicked grin. "Coming back to you, is it? Shall we try the Coronation Dance?"

He nodded once, caught up in the moment. The two of them launched into a series of dancelike motions, scimitars flashing in the sun, mirroring each other's movements. One wrong move would cause serious injury. Yet Ganondorf felt himself almost being pulled by old memories, half in the new world and half in the old, just as the two complemented each other with the men's and women's styles. Ganondorf's strength played off Utaya's grace, bringing the rest of the warriors around to watch.

He finally stopped, exhilarated and exhausted, to the sound of applause and cheers from the warriors. They pounded him on the back, playfully teasing him.

"Eh, Honored Guest, you have a place to stay tonight?"

"How long are you staying? You must spar with all of us!"

"You think you are good, huh? I won't go easy on you like our master did!"

"Easy, is it?" Ganondorf turned to the last woman to speak, grinning wide and eyes shining. "Is that a challenge?"

-&-

"It is our duty to maintain the balance in our home country," Zelda explained carefully. "Link is the Protector, I am the Guide, and Ganondorf is the Destroyer."

Asai hid a sneer. "And you bear no ill will against this Destroyer, a man who has many times over caused suffering to your people and obliterated your land?"

Zelda paused. "This cycle is ordained by the Goddesses. Whether Ganondorf plays it or not, that role still exists."

"I thought you said that you had a certain degree of control over this cycle," the elderly woman pointed out.

"Well, yes, like now. Ganondorf expressed a desire to find his people. Originally, we were going to bring them back to Hyrule, but I can see now that no one likes this idea." Gruff remarks of agreement filled the room. "As I said, even though he has done great damage when we do not remember who we are, he has also helped us rescue Hyrule from outside threats."

"And you get along with him?" the middle-aged woman asked.

She shrugged. "More or less. He's difficult to deal with, but he does have a certain degree of honor under all the bluster."

"Thank you," Asai said shortly. "You can wait outside until we reach a decision."

-&-

"Where is Ganondorf?" Zelda asked Link, who sat on the hard stone with a half-eaten chicken leg.

He shrugged, unconcerned. "He's gotta be around here somewhere."

"They're going to come to a decision soon."

He chewed on the leg. "Finally. I hope they tell him to get lost, so we can finally go home."

She narrowed her eyes. "Link…"

"What?" He tossed the bone aside. "Did they ask you questions that _didn't_ sound like they wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible? From their attitude, it seemed like they couldn't believe I'd gone this far without killing him."

Zelda sighed. "I hope he won't be too disappointed."

"I don't care." He shook his head when she glared at him again. "What? We went through all this trouble for him, only to find that his own people hate him. They call him 'Honored Guest' and so on, but as he told us, that's almost an insult for him."

"I don't think they all hate him. I think it's mostly those that aren't Dragmire, plus Asai."

"Okay, you're right, but they're definitely wary of him. As they should be."

Just as he finished saying his, the Individual in Question rounded the corner and walked toward them, his face anxious. "I was told the Council had entered its debate."

They nodded and said nothing more, waiting.

-&-

"By request of Council member Asai Dragmire, we have debated the following matter: Does the Prophecy of His Majesty, Ogadai Dragmire III, hold valid as a case for an attack on the Empire of Reylisia, with the appearance of two Foreigners and one former Gerudo King?"

The three sat in the huge room, waiting for the elderly woman to continue.

"It does not."

Ganondorf bowed his head, whereas the two on each side of him attempted to hide their sighs of relief. Link noticed that Ganondorf looked strangely hopeful even now.

The elderly Council member raised her hand for everyone's attention. "In terms of the second question: Should we allow Ganondorf Dragmire, a former King with a poor record, to dwell among us again as a Foreigner, as is his request?"

The two Hylians jerked their heads around to stare at the old warlord.

"We should."

They snapped their attention to the elderly woman as Ganondorf's face split in a wide smile. "Wait, ma'am," Link called up.

"This Council session is over," the woman retorted. The small group stood and departed.

Link rounded on Ganondorf. "What the hell is this? Are you just trying to buy time until they finally accept that prophecy of Ogadai's?" He stuck a finger in Ganondorf's face. "Listen, you, we are not sticking around to watch you wreak havoc in _another_ country."

Ganondorf's smile faded. "I don't expect that you would. Go home to Hyrule."

"But…when are you coming back?" Zelda asked, already knowing the answer.

"I'm not."

-&-

"I can't believe this!" Link tugged on the desert horse's reins in distraction, causing it to snort in protest. They stood at the edge of the Great Wasteland, two Gerudo guides set to guide Link and Zelda as far as Myrissa's Fang, Asai and two others at Ganondorf's side. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why do you care?" Ganondorf asked dismissively. "Maybe you'll find a better person to play the role of Bearer of Power."

"No way. Din's gonna be furious that you just up and left, like she was some kind of summer girlfriend." Link gestured wildly, unable to believe what he was hearing, that his adversary of many lifetimes was just tossing aside what he had always strived for. "She'll find somebody _really_ evil to force on us. Somebody that…I dunno…_eats _Hylians or something."

Zelda silently regarded the old warlord for a long time, finally saying, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

He nodded, but did not look directly at her. "I am among my own people."

"They call you 'foreigner'," Link pointed out. "Look, every lifetime the Goddesses take my parents away from me, but I still can't understand why you would…"

"Of course you don't understand!" Ganondorf snapped. "In every lifetime you have been around other Hylians. You may have lived with other races, but they were always there. You have never been completely cut off from your own people, forced to live among those who speak, act, and think very differently from you. You understand _nothing!_"

Link scowled and turned his horse around. "Fine. I hope I never see your ugly, balding, piss-eyed, big-nosed face again."

Zelda attempted to move toward Ganondof, but he twitched his horse aside and turned his back to her. "I suppose, if this is what you…" She hesitated. "Well…good-bye, then."

He made no reply as she joined Link's side and rode into the desert with their Gerudo escort.

Asai watched them go, then turned to see the pained expression on his face that he had hidden from the two Bearers. "You're a strange one," she muttered. "They were friends of yours, weren't they?"

He shook himself out of a trance. "In a way, I suppose. But even so, we were destined to fight in every lifetime."

She shrugged. "It seems strange to toss away allies like that."

He frowned at her, then nudged his horse into a walk. "You know I could not have both. Do you think it was an easy decision?"

It was a two-day ride back to the Dragmire's secret dwelling. At first Ganondorf felt a little regretful, for as much as he disliked the two, he also respected them. The thought of never seeing Hyrule again saddened him, but the prospect of living in Reylisia more than compensated for that.

_Once we take back this country from King Ridiyah_, he thought to himself, _maybe I can send a contingent to Hyrule…though so many lifetimes will have passed, I probably won't remember why I wanted to do that…_

He knew that Myrissa would not grant him the same privileges that Din did. And yet, to be among his own again, even as a 'foreigner', made it all worthwhile.

The little group chatted softly, idly, as their horses trotted over the scrubland back toward the city. As they rode over a hill, the wind picked up, and something caught Ganondorf's eye.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing out toward the horizon to the left of them. "Game?"

Asai squinted. Her eyes flew open and she spurred her horse. "Clockwork Hounds! _Dozens_ of them!"

He drove his ankles into his horse's flanks, following the others on a breakneck pace down the hill and through the scrubland. Eerie howls sliced through the air as the Hounds sighted their prey. Save for that, they made no sound, effortlessly racing toward the horses, no need to gasp for air.

The Hounds formed a wide circle around the horses, slowly closing in as they ran. Ganondorf released a fireball at the nearest Hound; it knocked the thing backward, but the creature leaped up again with no sign that it had been damaged.

"Try to jump over!" Asai commanded. She struck her horse's flank and it leaped forward, high over the heads of the Hounds.

To their surprise and dismay, the Hounds leaped higher than a man and grasped the horse's legs, pulling it down. The other horses met the same fate, as if attacked by a pack of wolves. Legs broken, the horses squealed in agony as the Gerudo whipped out their scimitars, their weapons the only defense between them and the dogs with poisoned teeth.

Ganondorf took a swipe at a Hound that crept too close. It leaped back, but did not move any further, simply staring at him and growling like a huge steam engine. He glanced around him and noticed the others did the same thing. "They intend to keep us here," he called to Asai. "For what I don't know."

Her eyes locked with his. "I told you, did I not? They kill the weak. Those gifted in magic they take back to the palace. You and I are the only magic-wielders here."

The sound of hoofbeats reached their ears. Looking up, they saw a familiar figure ride forward on his own horse. "Ah, Asai. It has been a while since we last met, hasn't it?"

She stared back at him with bitter hatred. "Ridiyah."

A slow, wicked smile spread across his face. "At any other time, I would have you killed for disrespect. But you are not the reason I am here. In fact," he said, as he shifted his gaze to Ganondorf, "if you leave the foreigner with me, you and your friends can walk away unharmed."

Ganondorf raised his scimitars, ready for a fight to the death alongside his sisters. Asai's words sliced right through him. "Take him, then."

He stared at her in disbelief, the utter contempt on her eyes tearing at him. "Asai? But I…"

"You are not one of us," she spat at him. "You should have joined your friends in their journey back to Hyrule."

"Well?" King Ridiyah gestured to a horse next to him. "You can either ride with us like the spineless coward that you are, or let the Hounds take you as a Gerudo might. Either way, you're coming back with us."

Ganondorf leaped forward and swept his scimitar in a wide arc, slicing the head off one of the Hounds. In a flash the rest of the pack leaped upon him, sinking their teeth into his flesh, the sharp burn of the sleeping drug reverberating throughout his body. He struggled upward, striking left and right, dragging the determined creatures with him as he shuffled toward Ridiyah, sword upraised.

Then his eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell to the ground senseless.

Three women from Ridiyah's group lifted the unconscious man and threw him over the saddle of the horse. Ridiyah gave Asai a malevolent smile. "Until we meet again, Asai. But by then, I will have learned the secrets behind the Hylians' power…and I do not need the blessings of their Goddesses to replicate it. Go home and enjoy what time you have left." He turned his horse around and spurred it forward.

-&-

Asai waited until every last Hound had disappeared over the horizon. She turned to her friend. "Give me your horse," she commanded, gesturing toward the only uninjured one.

"Where are you going?" the woman demanded, as Asai galloped off in the direction they had come.

Asai said nothing, willing her steed to move faster as she rode back toward the Hylian border.


	13. Two Worlds, One Choice

**Author's Note: Some of my readers are creating art for this, right? (hopeful)**

King Ridiyah Sauteri walked casually through the hallways of the palace, through numerous guarded passages and doors that would only open upon hearing certain voices. The ancient stone shifted to blocks only a few years old, as he entered the addition he had built for a very specific purpose. The dense stone also served as an excellent sound barrier, so despite the cries of imprisoned Dragmire, the walls held the silence of a tomb.

Two women holding double-bladed halberds stood at attention, one of them tripping a complex set of gears that slowly raised the enormous, steel-plated door. He waited until the gears clicked in place, then strolled up to the amber-eyed prisoner being held to his knees by three Gerudo warriors as well as several lengths of chain, bolted to the floor with veins of a sorcery-dampening mineral running through them.

Ridiyah smiled in greeting to the prisoner, showing far too many teeth to be friendly. "Myrissa is such a gracious mother," he hissed over the gasping of the man below him. "To grant me what I have been looking for, at just the right time."

One amber eye narrowed in fury; the other had swollen shut. His speech slurred slightly from missing front teeth, Ganondorf snarled, "I don't know what you want, Ridiyah, but you won't get it from me."

"Simpleton." Ridiyah leaned down just out of reach. "I want the same thing you did, all those years ago. But, unlike you, I am actually going to get what I want. I know what gift you carry, its history, and its power."

"Hah!" Ganondorf shifted slightly, favoring one leg, angry bruises running up its side. "My gift is useless in Reylisia. And you will have to contend with the other two Bearers if you go to Hyrule."

The High King straightened, a wicked smile flitting across his face. "This is why I will succeed where you have failed. Silly fool…stealing something that belongs to another, without fully understanding its consequences or even how it works!"

Gesturing toward a table on the other end of the room, he pointed out a table piled high with parchment. "This, Failed King of Hyrule, is my life's work. For years I've brought your distant cousins here, interrogated them, and taken not their _abilities_, but their _knowledge_."

Without warning he clamped his hand on Ganondorf's shoulder, his prisoner unable to suppress a cry of pain as white-hot energy seared through his skin, his muscles jerking as it ripped through nerves and attacked vital organs.

"You know that tactic, I'm sure. Harnessing pure energy, one of the oldest Gerudo spells in existence," Ridiyah said. "It was one of the first things I learned. I picked the minds of the greatest spellcasters the Dragmire had to offer, learning how to manipulate energy, time, and space." He grinned wide as Ganondorf flinched ever so slightly when Ridiyah gestured toward him. "I am now the most powerful sorcerer in Gerudo history. Now that you are here, I can add Hylian magic to my knowledge base. I don't need the Triforce to do it; I only need to know how it works. Then I can look into the minds of the Hylian Goddesses themselves, and create my _own_ version of their sacred treasure."

Ganondorf scowled in defiance, the congealing blood on his back from the hatchmarked slices of the guards' whips shining in the flickering torchlight. "There is nothing you can do to me that would bring me to give you that information."

Ridiyah chuckled. "Do you think this is all I have?" He gestured to the women, the various instruments on the walls and the table, the chains in the floor. "I wouldn't expect this to loosen the tongue of even a pathetic specimen like you. No, I have something much more potent at my disposal. You'll tell me everything. In fact, you won't be able to shut up."

Ganondorf stood suddenly, straining against the chains and the warriors. "I will never betray my people!"

This time Ridiyah threw his head back and laughed. "Your people? They are extinct, my friend. They have been for years…the Gerudo as _you _knew them." He leaned in close. "_You_ killed them. The desert-dwellers that held adulthood training and adapted to the harsh sand and sun? They didn't exist before the Dragmire exodus to Hyrule, and they don't exist now."

"I don't care what you-"

"Think about it!" Ridiyah snapped. "Were you accepted as a brother? I doubt it. They took you in on the condition that you would stay as a foreigner, isn't that right?" He chuckled as Ganondorf turned away. "Your people are gone, Failed King, all thanks to you. You should have thrown in your lot with those two Hylians when you had your chance."

Ganondorf turned back, his eyes boring into Ridiyah's. "I still won't betray them to the likes of you."

Ridiyah stepped back with a conqueror's smile. He pulled a small glass object from a side pocket, filled with a clear liquid that had a slight yellowish tinge. On one end was a thin point of metal. "I have no doubt that we could inflict every kind of physical and psychological torture on you until you expired without saying a word. Even the least specimen of a Gerudo would. So that is why I am using _this_."

Ganondorf frowned. "Some kind of poison?" he asked, though he knew it was not the right answer.

"Idiot. How can I get information out of a dead man? This, my friend, is essence of pure bliss." He shook it slightly, and little bubbles collected around the edges. "It will make you happier than you have ever felt in your life. Think of it as my gift to you. A few hours of complete, utter joy…followed by the realization that you've just opened your heart and mind to me, and that I've stripped you bare, taken all of your deepest secrets and worst fears. After that, you'll be nothing more than an empty shell."

With a snort, Ganondorf retorted, "You don't think you can actually make me drink that, do you?"

"Drink?" Ridiyah's face lit up in a psychopathic smile. "Who said anything about drinking it?" He pointed to the thin line of metal at the end. "This, dear friend, is going to bypass your mouth and stomach completely. I'm going to force it directly into your blood."

As if on cue, the warriors surrounding him jerked on the chains and forced Ganondorf flat on the ground, ignoring his shouts and struggles. "I had my warriors rough you up a bit to make you easier to handle," Ridiyah said calmly. "That's all the physical punishment was for. Now, don't bore me with talk about how you'll resist this. I've tested it on so many Dragmire that I've lost count."

As the warriors pinned the thrashing prisoner to the floor, Ridiyah gripped his hair and pulled his head back to expose the vessel that carried blood from the heart to the brain. He ignored the snap of teeth and pressed the metal point against his neck. "There's no need to fight," he said calmly as he pressed the other end of the syringe. "In just a few moments, you'll be feeling better than ever."

-&-

The two Gerudo guides chattered happily about simple things as they rode with Link and Zelda toward the Hylian border. Zelda had not spoken a word during the journey, deep in thought. Link, on the other hand, spoke constantly, but only to himself, dredging up an endless stream of curses and attributing them to Ganondorf's name.

Suddenly one of the guides shouted and pointed to the horizon. "There, right before you, Myrissa's Fang," she said to Zelda.

She nodded. "I see it. I'm sure we can find our way home from here. Thank you for guiding us."

Link opened his mouth to speak, then shut it and turned around as a voice hailed them from behind. Neither Hylian could determine the identity of the person riding on horseback toward them, but the guards rode forward in surprise.

Zelda sat up straight in the saddle as Asai pushed between the guides and approached her. "Your friend has been taken prisoner by King Ridiyah," Asai informed her breathlessly, her horse panting and frothing at the mouth. "If you wish to save him you must return now, before Ridiyah takes his magical skill and kills him."

"Forget it," Link snapped upon hearing Zelda's translation. "He wanted to stay there, so this is what he gets."

Zelda's eyes narrowed. "Link…"

"What?" He rounded on her, gritting his teeth. "We went through all that trouble for him, and to what end? So he could stay there and get himself killed. Well, good riddance."

Zelda spoke softly, ignoring the puzzled stares of the Gerudo. "Link…it is not like you to doom anyone to that fate."

The words opened a festering wound, and he lashed out at her. "You think that just because I'm the 'hero' I'm going to selflessly charge in there and rescue someone I don't even like? Someone that causes hell for us in every lifetime? Someone who enjoyed watching me writhe in pain when I failed in my mission? You were there too, Zelda. You've been tortured by him, murdered by him, just as I have."

"Of course I was," Zelda snapped in an uncharacteristic fit of temper. "But are you blind? Have you not seen the signs of grudging respect he gives us? His pride will not allow him more. He is not a good person. He is not meant to be so. But he belongs to us, and we belong to him."

"_But I can't I just can't tell her those things about the father she still mourns. I can't slice through her heart like that, not when we're sentient, not when we remember who we are. Because…you…and she…are the only-"_

_Friends I have._ Link's mind finished the statement the old warlord had made at the banquet. He sighed, massaging his temple. "There really is only one course of action, isn't there?"

She nodded. "Are you ready?"

"No," he admitted, "but that's never stopped me before. Let's go."

-&-

Ganondorf lay on the cold stone floor on the prison cell, drifting in and out of consciousness, willing himself to die.

Ridiyah had taken everything. His knowledge, his pride, and most of all, the new clan he had found to replace the one he had lost. He could only vaguely remember, through a manic haze, the King and his warriors roaring with laughter at him happily babbling on about his deep fear of open water, his pride in defeating the Hero in a particularly difficult battle, even hidden affection for the Bearer of Wisdom. Things he had not consciously known himself. And, of course, all knowledge of the Triforce and how it worked.

Never in his life had he felt such horror, upon realizing that the drug had worn off and his mind had been laid bare to his enemy. Realizing that there was nothing he could do about it. He had no access to the power of the Goddesses he had come to rely on, and he had turned away the two people that would even consider helping him. So now he lay abandoned and discarded, waiting to succumb to his injuries, waiting for the sweet release of death.

Myrissa would not grant him sentience in the next life. His new life under Ridiyah's rule, if he were born again as a Dragmire – if any were left – would be hard, but at least he would not remember why.

He had been cold at first, forced to endure stabbing pains as his body shivered in spite of itself. But now he could feel himself gradually growing numb, hear the voices of the guards blurring and running together.

On the edge of consciousness, he thought he heard shouts and the ring of metal against metal. He could not tell if it were real or some distant memory. He did not care.

Suddenly, in the darkness and the slowly fading pain, he felt a burst of warmth and reprieve. He heard two voices, and could discern words. "It's bad," he heard a woman say, a familiar voice. "Nearly every one of his organs has been compromised in some way. He will take some time to heal just enough to stand up."

"We don't have that kind of time," a bossy male voice retorted, though he could hear concern in its tone. "He's too heavy to carry; what should we do?"

Ganondorf slowly opened his eyes, which came to focus on a face staring into his own. "He's conscious," Link reported.

_They came back for me…?_

It took him a moment to absorb this realization. Suddenly he realized why Ridiyah had not killed him, and he felt a rush of fear; not for himself, but for the others.

He struggled to rise. "Don't move," Zelda warned him. "You're very badly injured."

_As if I can't figure that out for myself?_ "Go," he ordered, his mouth dry and stiff. "Get out of here, now."

"Well, that's a nice thing to say," Link snapped. "Coming all the way out here to save your sorry…"

Ganondorf rose with considerable effort on all fours, trying to convey the urgency of the situation. "Ridiyah will know you are here. Get out!"

"Just give me a moment," Zelda replied, her voice strained. "If I can get you well enough to…"

Suddenly the door flew open, slamming against the wall. Several guards leaped inside, pinning the two Hylians against Ganondorf and restraining them, snatching their weapons. Zelda struggled in vain as they found each of her hidden Shekiah weapons, and pulled them both away toward the door.

The guards stood to the side as Ridiyah entered. "Let them go," Ganondorf growled, his voice low and gasping. "They're not a part of this."

"On the contrary," Ridiyah replied, his eyes lit with an insane fire, "they are keepers of a great power, and combined with what information I have taken from you, I can finally achieve my dream…a place among the gods!"

"Do you really think Myrissa will let you stand beside her when you have molested her people like this?" Zelda demanded.

"Actually, I do," Ridiyah replied, turning to her. "It must be Myrissa's will that the Failed King and his companions came to Reylisia at this exact time, with me as its King, at this point in my work. The timing couldn't be better…a one-in-a-million, no, one-in-a-billion chance. This is her sign to me."

"The Goddesses aren't like that!" Link countered. "Even Din wouldn't wish such suffering on her own people!"

Ridiyah sneered. "Maybe the weak Hylian goddesses aren't, but Myrissa is a supreme Queen of both birth and destruction. It is my destiny to be her avatar!"

To the surprise of everyone, Ganondorf raised himself to his feet, straining against the chains. "I won't allow this," he stated in a soft but clearly discernable voice.

Both Ridiyah and the guards laughed uproariously. "Just what are you going to do?" Ridiyah asked, as if speaking to a child. "You have nothing left. Once I am through using these two, I will dispose of them as I see fit, just as I will now with you."

He pulled the sword Link had brought with him from it sheath. The two Hylians' cries echoed in his mind as the sword bit through his flesh and pierced his heart.

-&-

Darkness.

All-consuming and foreign, and yet familiar. Ganondorf felt his consciousness reform around him, aware he was standing up and no longer in pain. He raised his head, and before him stood a magnificent figure.

A woman, with a scaly serpent's tail substituting for her body past her waist. She wore no clothing but stood bedecked in jewels and gold that matched the brassy glow of her skin. Her hair fell about her shoulders in thick red waves.

Ganondorf could only stare in wonder. "…Myrissa?" She nodded with a benevolent smile. "Are we in Yomi?"

"Not quite," she said in a sibilant voice that tasted of incense. "We are in the corridor between worlds. I came to bring you to Yomi myself. You have done well…with your death and impending doom from his knowledge, the Dragmire will rise up in revolution, and overthrow Ridiyah to ensure he does not gain the power he seeks."

He glanced around him. "What about the other two?"

Beckoning him to follow her, she said, "My cousins will claim them when they die. Their spirits will return safely to Hyrule, don't worry."

"But…" Ganondorf stepped forward hesitantly, then stopped. "They are strong-willed people. It will take them forever to die…and Ridiyah will…"

"That is no longer your concern," Myrissa stated, an edge forming in her voice. "They belong to Nayru and Farore, just as you belong to me."

"No, you don't understand," Ganondorf urged, not sure he himself understood. "They…they came back for me. I can't let them go through what I did, at the hands of Ridiyah. I won't allow it!"

In an instant Myrissa's demeanor changed from mother to demon. "What won't you allow?" she demanded, snarling in his face, her hair turning to flame, her eyes glowing with an unearthly light. "You are a mere mortal who was given a gift by his Goddess, a gift he spurned. You are but one of a great many children. You get no special privileges! You have become spoiled by my cousins, as a vessel of their power!"

Ganondorf bowed on his hands and knees, sensing that Myrissa could tell he did it in a hurry rather than out of respect. "Forgive me, great Goddess…but they are in peril because of me, and I cannot let them…"

"Listen, spoiled child," Myrissa snapped, fiery sparks in her voice. "You cannot be a demi-god both in this world and in Hyrule. You will need to choose between one or the other."

"Then I choose my role as Bearer of Power!" Ganondorf announced.

"Impudent child. You have not heard all the conditions." Myrissa leaned in close. "This is not just the fancy of a Goddess. You risk seriously damaging the fabric of Time and Space itself. You cannot hold such power in both worlds. I can return you to your mortal form, so that you can rescue your friends…but if I do so, I cannot allow you to ever enter Reylisia again, in any form."

Ganondorf stiffened as the shock shot through him. "Never again? But why?"

"I already told you. You must choose…you can both be a martyr in Reylisia, and stay among your own people, reborn again and again among them. Or you can spare your friends Ridiyah's torment, and return to Hyrule. But if you choose Reylisia, you can never return to Hyrule, and vice versa."

"But…why….?"

"I already told you. You cannot have everything you want. In everything a person does, to gain something, he must sacrifice something else. To sustain life, life must be taken away. It is your decision." Her voice softened slightly. "Time does not flow here like it does in the mortal world. You can think it over as long as you like."

Ganondorf stood still for a moment, then shook his head, and slowly raised it to meet her gaze. "No," he said softly, but with a voice full of purpose. "I have already decided."


	14. His Clan

Link kept his eyes glued on the Shekiah knife his captor had stuck in her belt, it moving slightly back and forth with the mov

Link kept his eyes glued on the Shekiah knife his captor had stuck in her belt, it moving slightly back and forth with the movement of her hips. Someone ahead of them barked a question, the warrior stalled, and Link made a grab for it with his teeth, biting down on the grip and moving it in his mouth so that the tip pointed toward his throat.

To his great surprise and dismay, Ridiyah snatched it and threw it away. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing," he snapped with a blow across Link's face. "I know all about your pact of sentience with the Hylian Goddesses. Ganondorf told me."

Link could not accept this level of betrayal even from his lifelong foe. "He'd never tell _you_," he blurted, but all color drained from his face as he got a good look at Zelda's. She had instantly realized what he did not; there could be no other way for Ridiyah to know that.

"What did you do to him?" she asked Ridiyah softly, her tone speaking volumes on her knowledge of the old warlord's stamina.

Ridiyah gave her a dismissive snort. "You'll see soon enough. It doesn't matter how strong you are; your fate is unavoidable, so you might as well accept it."

-&-

In a dark cell in the bowels of the Reylisian palace, a corpse lay still, slowly growing cold. Suddenly, the congealed blood on the back and chest turned bright red and flowed smoothly over the wounds, knitting them back together. Two amber eyes opened and Ganondorf Dragmire stood on his feet, back from his umpteenth visit with Death and without a mark on him.

He held up his hand, briefly scrutinizing the chains that bound them. Earlier he had been beaten into submission, with no purpose or reason to live. He had chosen not to move from nothing into nothing. But now he had a mission to fulfill, and the weak chains that held him did not require the added might of the Triforce of Power. He leaned forward, lunging against the bonds, not unlike his attempted execution at the hands of the Sages.

He blasted the cell door off its hinges, sending it flying into the opposite wall. The cries of the Sauteri warriors washed right through him as he pushed them aside and snatched two scimitars, bolting down the hall.

-&-

"You filthy pig," the raider snarled, breathing heavily as he held his scimitar to the young Prince's throat. "You think killing one of ours makes you a warrior? It was a crazy fluke, kid, and now I'm going to gut you while you're still alive. Pay attention!" he snapped, cracking the side of the scimitar over his head, for Ganondorf kept his eyes on his sisters, held down by the other raider.

Ganondorf planted his hands in the sand and brought his feet up in an arc, knocking the scimitar out of the man's hands. Snatching up his own weapon, he leaped into the air and brought it down hard, the raider throwing up his arm so that it would hit the metal bracelet on his glove. The ring of steel echoed off Myrissa's Fang and Ganondorf's limbs trembled with the impact.

"You missed, boy," the raider sneered, but Ganondorf could see the fear in his eyes, and it fed the Prince's newfound power. Leaping back, he planted his feet in a defensive stance, arm raised for a sudden strike, a move modeled after the demon scorpion.

The raider took the bait and rushed him. Ganondorf waited until he stood within arm's length, weapon thrown back for a wide strike. The Prince slashed forward with all his might, rending through the leather armor deep into the unprotected stomach of his foe. The raider halted, his eyes wide with shock, clutching his abdomen and falling to his knees. Ganondorf raised his foot high and brought it down hard on the man's neck, feeling it snap beneath him. He didn't even give his fallen foe a second glance as he advanced toward the last raider, eyes locked on his target and blood spattered across his clothes.

Unwilling to relinquish his prey, the raider kicked the two girls and stood in front of them, brandishing his weapon. "I've been in this business too long to be cut down like a brat like you," he snarled, and looked it, the burliest and most battle-scarred of the bunch. "Let me keep the girls, and I'll let you go, even though you killed my partners. Otherwise you die here."

Ganondorf walked toward him, unafraid. "I will not allow you to take my sisters from me."

The raider snorted. "You're a cocky one, boy. I heard you say you didn't even like these two fools on the way here."

The Prince's sword flashed in the sun, his amber eyes hard and cold. "It matters not. They are my clan."

-&-

Zelda did not cry out, even though the whip across her shoulders bit deep into the flesh. Though technically the weakest of the Three, she still had stamina far beyond that of an ordinary person. She felt more hurt by Link's agitated cries, unable to help her or himself.

She cast her gaze on Ridiyah, who stood watching with an impatient expression. "I hope you have the power to animate the dead," she told him in a low whisper, "because that is the only way you will get anything out of either of us. We have triumphed over Ganondorf in countless battles; does our appearance bring you to believe we would be easy to conquer?"

A smile broke over his features. "Is that an invitation? I must admit, I've never tested this method on a Hylian." He motioned for the Sauteri warriors to stop. "I suppose it's lucky there are two of you, then. And of the two…" He cast an appraising eye over both of them. "I think Courage would be the more expendable, as I have that in spades."

_More like arrogance_, Link thought to himself, tensing as Ridiyah walked toward him.

But instead of a weapon or a magic blast, the Gerudo High King pulled out a small glass container with a needle at the end. "This, as I told your dearly departed friend, is happiness in a bottle. In a few moments you will forget all your cares and worries, and tell me everything I want to know."

Link could see Zelda's frightened glance out of the corner of his eye. It certainly was an unusual weapon, one he had no experience with. He braced himself as the Sauteri warriors held him down, unsure what to expect.

Suddenly the door to the interrogation room blasted open, and as they all turned to face this new threat, the glass vial in Ridiyah's hand burst into sparkling shards. The King roared in pain as a shard pierced the side of one eye. Blinking, tears streaming, he could see a large figure race into the room, cutting down the warriors and planting himself firmly between Ridiyah and the prisoners.

Pulling the shard from the corner of his eye, Ridiyah stood in disbelief before the person in front of him. A tall Gerudo male, wearing only a pair of tattered pants, the clothing as well as the skin filthy with grime and dried blood. He carried a pair of scimitars, doubtless taken forcibly from the Sauteri.

Briefly Ridiyah wondered if he had the same stupid, shocked look on his face as the two Hylians. "How did you…?"

Ganondorf did not answer, but lunged forward. Ridiyah leaped back, snatched a scimitar from the ground, and blocked the attack.

Ridiyah grinned wide with a sudden epiphany. "So the Goddess granted you your life back, eh?" he asked. Still Ganondorf did not answer, completely focused on his enemy. "Myrissa does not do such things lightly…what did you sacrifice to achieve this?"

Ganondorf's face registered the slightest amount of regret, but he kept advancing.

Ridiyah blocked his strikes, a savage gleam in his eyes. "You are defending these two? In order to return to life, you must have given up something significant…have you turned your back on your own clan?"

Cryptically, Ganondorf replied, "I am _defending_ my clan."

Frowning, Ridiyah parried another thrust and leaped back. Ganondorf summoned a ball of energy and threw it at him, only to have Ridiyah throw it back in his face with a laugh.

"Don't you remember me emptying your brain?" Ridiyah taunted him. "I know all of your battle strategies, all your best moves." He blocked Ganondorf's swing and reciprocated with a slice at the old warlord's arm, easily drawing blood from his unprotected skin. "I can anticipate every single move you make!"

"Is that so?" Not at all concerned about the blood dripping down his arm, Ganondorf backed up quickly, keeping his eyes locked on his target. "Then I'll just have to do something unpredictable."

"Unpredictable? You, the member of a trinity that is doomed to repeat the same cycle again and again, for all eternity?"

"You underestimate the power of sentience. After so many lifetimes, one has no use for petty mortal squabbles." Taking several swift steps back, Ganondorf swung his scimitar with incredible force, severing the chains that held the two Hylians.

Without a word, he offered the hilt of one of his scimitars to Link.

Without a word, but with a single quick nod that spoke volumes, Link accepted it.

Ridiyah summoned a ball of magical energy and hurled it at the trio; it stopped short of its target, blocked by Zelda's transparent shield.

Cursing, Ridiyah vanished.

Ganondorf turned to Zelda, his face strained. "We can't allow him to escape from us. The entire Gerudo race is in peril as long as he is alive, and he may have already made an artificial copy of my Triforce's power. Can you sense his presence?"

She nodded shortly, running her hands over both her and Link's wounds, the flesh healing beneath her fingers. "He's not far from here. Follow me!"

They burst out of the interrogation room and flew through the halls, mowing down any Sauteri that stood in their way. Out of the corner of his eye Link could see an expression of grim determination on Ganondorf's face, very different and much more solemn than usual.

"He's still running," Zelda announced, her eyes slightly unfocused as she searched with her mind. "He's headed toward the main part of the palace."

They reached the enormous steel door that separated them from the main building, and Link cursed as he saw several of the gears shattered and lying on the ground. Ganondorf did not even slow down as he hurled himself full force against the door, then dug his nails into the ground in an attempt to push it upward. "It won't open!" he panted, a hint of panic in his voice.

Link examined the gears on the floor. "I think I can repair this well enough that Ganondorf can lift the door by force." He spun the wheels, tugged at the ropes, replacing a gear here or there. Zelda assisted him, using her magic to weld pieces together. Ganondorf shuffled his feet anxiously, attempting several times to open the door, and the other two had to snap at him to stay still.

"All right, now try it!" Link shoved one final gear into place, and Ganondorf bent down to force the door upward. It jerked up about three inches, then stopped.

"Hold on," Link instructed. "Let me see if I can…"

But Ganondorf didn't listen. He strained hard against the weight of the door, limbs trembling and eyes shut in concentration. The door jerked upward a few inches at a time, until the bottom stood perhaps three feet off the floor. At Ganondorf's urging, the other two dived into the opening, and he followed, the door slamming shut behind them.

Zelda paused to ask him if was all right, but before she opened her mouth, he demanded, "Where is he now?" She simply ran forward and gestured for the other two to follow him.

They raced through the hallways, not meeting a single soul as they ran. Zelda figured Ridiyah must have warned his people, and those who could fight had been ordered to muster in one part of the palace. From what she could tell, that looked like the large room where they had first been introduced to Ridiyah.

They burst into the throne room, a good hundred or so Sauteri warriors standing in a half-circle around Ridiyah, who stood on the dais holding his platinum scimitar. "Coward!" Ganondorf bellowed, so loud that the other two jumped slightly. "You use your own people as human shields? Even I never stooped so low!"

"Even so, they perished anyway," Ridiyah replied with relish, and Ganondorf flinched visibly. "Perhaps you would have allowed them to die with honor fighting, rather than slowly starving to death."

Ganondorf recoiled slightly, as if he had been struck. His expression switched from fiery ire to cold fury. "You are not fit to be High King of the Gerudo, and I can declare this regardless of how unsuitable I am as well. Myrissa herself told me."

A wave of whispers flashed through the crowd. Ridiyah snorted. "Liar. You must be truly desperate to claim to speak for the Goddess."

"You ran your sword through my heart," Ganondorf said as he raised his scimitar to point at Ridiyah's own. "And yet here I stand before you. I did indeed speak with the Goddesss, and offered up a sacrifice. If you truly believe you are her avatar, then you should have no trouble defeating the three of us alone!"

Zelda bit her lip, realizing the gamble Ganondorf had just made. But he must have been right, for Ridiyah motioned for the assembled army to disperse. "I am the one and true King of the Gerudo, and I will prove to you that I have our Goddess's blessing!"

As the army scattered, Ridiyah rose into the air, which crackled with electricity as he collected all light into his hand. The Three knew this method well and dodged out of the way as he threw it at them, none of them possessing a weapon equal to the Master Sword to match it. But on the second attempt, Zelda conjured a thin sword out of pure magic and used it to reflect the electric ball. Ridiyah dodged it easily.

"So much for your parlor-tricks. I shall put the Hylian's magical power to better use!" With that, Ridiyah spread his arms, and suddenly the temperature in the room rose to an unbearable heat, as hot as any of the Goron mines. As the three gasped for breath, Ganondorf looked to Zelda. After so many years both fighting with and against each other, she instantly interpreted his meaning.

Combining her magic power with his, she conjured a giant whirlwind, disrupting the heat and slamming Ridiyah against the far wall. Link leaped forward and managed to score a few hits on Ridiyah's arms, as he raised them instinctually to fend off the attack. He hurled another ball of energy at Link, who dodged out of the way.

Ridiyah clenched his sword hand, and suddenly the scimitar burst aflame with a blue-white fire. He lunged at Link, who dodged and stared in horror as the sword sliced right through the stone of the dais, where he had been standing moments before.

"Zelda." She turned at the sound of her name, Ganondorf looking intently at her as Ridiyah and Link engaged in a series of chop-and-dodge moves. "Do you think you can distract him?"

She nodded, summoning a bow and arrows of fire. She fired one, and it embedded itself in his arm. "Idiots!" Ridiyah snarled as he lunged again for Link. "I possess the same Power that you fought over lifetimes! Do you really think an ordinary sword and a little fire can stop me?"

Suddenly Ganondorf leaped on him from behind, wrapping his arms around Ridiyah's neck in a headlock and ignoring the bite of electricity Ridiyah sent coursing through his body. Ganondorf concentrated, seeking the source of the Gerudo King's power. "Your power is just a pale copy of the Goddess's work," he managed to gasp between jolts of energy. "It may be yours, Ridiyah, instead of a stolen relic, but a mere mortal cannot create something equal to that of the gods."

He located the source, and concentrated all of his own energy on it. The Triforce copy shattered like glass, and Ridiyah howled in despair as Ganondorf pushed him forward, right onto Link's blade.

To the surprise of all, Ridiyah pulled his own body out of the sword, and turned to face Ganondorf. "Fool. My mortal body means nothing as long as my spirit is intact." Falling to his knees, he raised his arms skyward. "Great Goddess Myrissa! Come to my aid and strike down those who would deny your favored child!"

The air around them condensed, and they felt a strange pressure, as if something very large were attempting to occupy the room with them. After a moment of thinking she would blank out, Zelda saw someone appear in front of Ridiyah. A fiery-haired woman, or at least half-woman, the tail of a snake comprising her lower end.

"Great Goddess!" Ridiyah cried, his voice trembling. "Give to me your gift!"

Link and Zelda exchanged worried glances; this didn't sound at all like what Ganondorf had described. Yet the old warlord had a peaceful, almost blank expression.

Myrissa raised her hand, her fingertips close to Ridiyah's adoring face. She spoke with a strange, otherworldly voice, with an overtone of smoke and honey. "Sleep, my child, and awaken in the next life, never remembering any of this one."

Ridiyah's eyes flew open in shock, then slowly closed as he sank to the ground, lifeless.

Before Link and Zelda could comprehend any of this, Myrissa turned to Ganondorf, her voice now harsh and grating. "Your wish has been fulfilled. Now you must return to Hyrule."

A look of despair shot through his features, and he fell to his knees. "Forgive me, Great Goddess, but may I not bid the land of my ancestors good-bye? Please allow me one final glance upon the Motherland…"

"No," she snapped, her voice hard as stone. "I already explained this to you. I cannot have a demi-god in two worlds. You made your choice. You will return to Din, as you are no longer my child."

He bowed his head, struggling to compose himself. "Excuse me, Great Goddess Myrissa," Zelda spoke up. "If I could but ask a small favor, for his benefit…"

"No." She turned her icy gaze on the two Hylians. "You two guests have overstayed your welcome. You will go back to your own world, and I hope I shall never see any of your kind in my land again, not after your people made my lost children suffer so."

"But…" Link began.

"I understand." Ganondorf cut him off. He stood, his eyes sorrowful but also full of resolve. "I shall return to my role in the Endless Cycle."


	15. Sunset and Sunrise

Midna sat at a little table on the balcony of her castle, quietly sipping tea and looking out over the horizon

Midna sat at a little table on the balcony of her castle, quietly sipping tea and looking out over the horizon. She hoped her friends were doing well in Reylisia. She doubted anything bad would happen to them, given how many lifetimes they had experienced.

Suddenly the air in front of her glowed blue, and to her surprise the Three Bearers stepped out of the portal onto the balcony. Midna stood up in alarm; she hadn't expected them back for quite a while longer.

"How did it go? Did you find what you were looking for?" Midna asked. Ganondorf, his face dark as a thundercloud, pushed past her and stalked off to his room in the palace.

"…No, huh?" Midna turned to Link and Zelda, who stood side by side with long faces.

"Well, we found the Gerudo, but…" Link's voice trailed off.

"Did you get killed or something? Maybe if you ask, the Goddesses will let you try again…"

Zelda shook her head. "We found the Gerudo, but it wasn't anything like what we expected. They resented Ganondorf for what he had done in Hyrule."

Midna scratched her head. "Well, that's to be expected, I suppose."

Link explained to her about Ridiyah and the warring clans. "In the end, it turned out that the Reylisian Gerudo were different from the Hylian Gerudo. And the Reylisians didn't really want Ganondorf around, even the Dragmire, so we came back."

"Wow. Well, them's the breaks, I guess." A little furrow formed on Midna's face. "Does that mean he's the last one of his kind?"

Zelda nodded sadly. "His people are gone. There was nothing we could do."

Midna sighed. "Jeez, I almost feel sorry for the guy. That's kind of what I was afraid of, when I got thrown into Hyrule." She nodded toward Link. "Stuck in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of strangers, and no way to get back to the country I knew. It was pretty scary there for a while. I'm sure you remember my attitude back then."

Link chuckled. "I think you handled it pretty well."

Glancing back to the hallway where Ganondorf had been, Midna said, "It's probably best if we leave him alone for a while." She turned to the others. "Is there something wrong? I know you guys are used to winning, but you look pretty depressed."

Link scratched the back of his neck, unsure what to say. Zelda spoke for both of them. "He sacrificed his chance to stay with the Gerudo to get us out of a bad position. Even though they weren't the same Gerudo, they were still a lot closer to him than us. And we would have come back to Yomi anyway…"

-&-

"Which do you like better, sunrise or sunset?"

The young King glanced toward Maya, a close friend since early childhood. "I dunno, what do you think?"

She smiled up at the sky as both of them sat on the far cliffs overlooking the dying light upon the Great Wasteland. "Sunset, because sunrise comes too soon."

Ganondorf frowned. "I think I like sunrise better," he said slowly. "At sunrise, there's always the promise of another day, time to get things done, a chance for things to finally go right. But when the sun sets, all I can think about is what hasn't been accomplished, what's still lacking."

Maya put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. You must be awfully busy most of the time."

He shook his head. "No more than anybody else. Tending the herds…finding new water reservoirs…organizing raiding parties…there's nothing I do that only Kings do. Well, there'll be _one_ thing, once I'm old enough…"

She laughed. "So you do have something to look forward to."

Shrugging, he replied, "Somebody has to keep the race going…" his expression darkened, his eyes flashing. "Especially with the Hylians killing every Gerudo they can find…"

Maya flinched, realizing she'd hit upon a sore topic. "I'm sorry, forget I mentioned it. Let's talk about something else…"

"They're just too powerful, Maya," Ganondorf groaned in agony. "It doesn't matter how well we fight. They've got more food, more weapons, more people, more everything." He scowled deeply, lines crisscrossing his young face. "Someday I'm going to figure out where they get it all. And then I'm going to use it against them. It'll be Hylians throwing their people in mass burials this time, Hylians starving in the droughts."

She tugged at his arm. "Look, it's getting dark. Let's go inside before it gets cold." As they walked back down toward the complex, she remarked, "You know, they say that during the twilight, our world is close to that of our ancestors…and they are watching over us…"

Ganondorf made a smirk of disgust. "Yes, to be so close to them all, my dead mother and everyone else, and yet not be able to speak to or touch them. I hate the twilight."

-&-

He stared out his window, his vision filled with the neverending Twilight that he so loathed. Even after he had gone to Yomi, he had never seen his mother or any of the other Gerudo again. And he never would.

He had lost everything.

That was why he had given up Reylisia for Link and Zelda, he told himself. They were enemies, but they were _his_ enemies. They were all he had left.

He heard a knock at the door. "Come in," he muttered, not really caring who it was.

To his surprise, Zelda walked through the door, carrying a covered plate. "You didn't come to dinner, so I decided to bring you this."

Ganondorf turned away from her. "There really isn't a need to eat in the land of the dead, you know."

"Yes, but old habits die hard, no pun intended." She stood silently for a moment, then said tentatively, "I want to thank you for what you did back there…"

"Don't," he said shortly. "I merely wanted to deny Ridiyah the pleasure."

He felt her hand touch him lightly on the arm. "I know that's not true. You cannot hide from Wisdom."

Ganondorf shut his eyes, growing impatient. "I really don't want to…"

"You don't have to," Zelda cut in. "Your actions spoke loud enough." She turned to leave.

"Zelda…"

She turned back, and waited, even though he did not look at her. "What do you think…the Goddesses will do? There are no Gerudo left…will they make me Hylian?" His voice trembled slightly. "I don't want to lose…that which is me…so much has already been taken…"

Zelda stiffened in shock; Ganondorf's face remained as expressionless as stone, but a single tear ran down the side of his face. "Before we left, I still had some small trust…that they still existed somewhere…but now I have nothing, not even foolish hope. I have…nothing…"

His face drawn, he said to her, "My people are gone, and I have no one to blame but myself. If I had known this is the way things would end, I would have gladly given up any claim to the Triforce and faded into obscurity…"

Zelda stepped forward, but he leaned back and raised his hand to his face. "Please leave," he said in an unsteady voice, his tone urgent. "I know you want to be…I am grateful for your company. But please allow me a few minutes alone."

She nodded in understanding, and shut the door behind her. As she walked down the hallway, she could hear his voice faintly as he mourned his people.

-&-

Midna sifted through her records of the past week, which read like obituaries. There had been a plague of one kind or another, and she had been busier than usual.

She heard a knock at the door. "I'm kinda busy right now," she said irritably. "Can you come back later?"

"I only wish to ask you a question." She raised her head in surprise, hearing Ganondorf's voice.

Opening the door, she asked, "Well, what can I do for you?"

He paused, uncertain. "Have you heard any news from Reylisia?"

She frowned. "I have, but you're not going to like it…the country is in the middle of a civil war. From what I understand, Myrissa fixed it that way, but things are still a mess over there."

He nodded shortly, unable to conceal his disappointment. "Thank you," he said, and left, Midna watching him curiously.

-&-

Midna followed the sound of a fist on wood echoing through the corridors of her palace, and turned the hallway corner to see both Link and Zelda standing outside Ganondorf's room. "He's still in there?"

Link kicked the door. "He's locked it, and we can't find a way in."

Midna rolled her eyes. "He's certainly causing a lot of fuss. Din will be angry with me if I don't bring him to her." She raised her hand, and very simply made the door disappear. Striding through the doorway, with Link and Zelda following, she said with authority, "That's enough. The Goddesses sent me to bring you to your next reincarnation. If you have a problem with it, take it up with Din."

Ganondorf scowled at her, clearly wishing he could injure her in some way. "Why can't the other two go first for once?"

"Because you are the eldest, and always have been. It's your job to set the stage for the other two."

He shoved past them and marched to the Goddesses' chamber, paying no attention to the three trailing behind. Din, Farore, and Nayru watched impassively as he walked up to Din and folded his arms.

Din smiled slightly. "Ah, so good to see my stubborn child finally decided to come." The fury in his eyes matched readily with the bright red flame of her hair. "How much do you wish to remember, this time?"

"I wish to remember nothing," he stated firmly as Midna, Link, and Zelda entered the room.

"Are you sure?" Din asked with a teasing lilt in her voice. "This is the first time since the Awakening that you would enter the world of the living with no prior memories."

His hands balled into fists, and his voice trembled as he fought to keep his tone civil. "I already told you. I wish to remember nothing. There are no memories I want to bring with me into the next lifetime. I wish…to rest…"

"Sister…" Naryu addressed Din.

Din held up her hand. "Very well then." She motioned toward the wall, and the Door to Yomi opened. Ganondorf stalked through without a word.

As the bright light from the Door disappeared, Nayru sighed and Farore clucked in disapproval. "A final act of discipline, dear sister?" Farore asked.

Din smiled at the mortals' puzzled faces. "Yes and no. If my child has such a hard time coming to terms with doing something right, then he'll have to wait longer to reap the reward. He'll finally receive it when he returns, after all."

-&-

Asai wiped the sweat from her face as she sat down on the rocky ruins, catching her breath. A good third of the old fortress had been restored, but that alone had taken several months.

She stared out over the Great Wasteland, and asked herself why she and her small handful of followers had made the journey here. The answer was always the same. After King Ogadai's death in the civil war, she was the leader of the Dragmire. Not all of them wanted to leave Reylisia and its relative comforts. But many refused to remain in a country which still, after all this time, treated them like unwelcome guests rather than citizens.

She felt a twinge of regret upon thinking that Ogadai had not survived to see the vision he had proclaimed, the vision she had denied but now brought into fruition.

A cool breeze blew in from the mesa, which in turn came from the green fields of Hyrule. The country proved to be even more fantastic than the old stories, and what was more, the kingdom did not seem to mind a group of Gerudo squatters living on the fringes of the country. Hyrule's turbulent history had been relatively trouble-free in recent years.

Asai heard someone shout her name, and looked back to see Omali running toward her. This could mean only one thing. "Hurry, Asai!" Omali shouted. "Atrayu's going into labor!"

She rushed back to the compound on Omali's heels, several other women joining them as they heard Atrayu's cries in the stagnant air. This child would be the first born in the new land, and the last full-blooded Gerudo of Ogadai's seed.

Atrayu lay sprawled on her bed, the midwife Yuma attending her. With an agonized push, the wet, bloody head of a baby emerged from her body. Atrayu made a final effort, and Yuma caught the baby in her calloused hands. The child screamed in protest at being forced from its dark, safe home, and the women rejoiced in the loud, healthy power of its lungs.

Yuma cleaned off the afterbirth and cut the umbilical cord, gleefully raising the child for all to see, proudly displaying that the baby was a male. Asai took him and showed him to Atrayu, who gave her a tired smile. "What do you wish to name him?" Asai asked.

Atrayu shook her head. "Sister, you led us here successfully. You should have the honor. Give him a name worthy of his heritage and our struggles."

Asai frowned slightly. Naming a future King was a serious business, and often the elders would discuss it for many months before the child was born. They believed the child's name had a profound effect on who he would become as a person. There had not been enough time to dedicate toward the naming of a child.

She watched the tiny child wriggling in her arms, amber eyes half open, as if impatient to get on with life. She considered naming him Ogadai IV, after the King with whom she had grown up. But this was not the time or place for an Ogadai. Their country needed strength, and dedication, and the ability to cast one eye to the past on the mistakes and triumphs of its heritage.

"The child's name," she proclaimed, "is Ganondorf!"


End file.
